No other time during American history has more cancer-related medical technology and research been available for the average American as inheritor of now an average life expectancy of 78 years. Although the average American’s quality of life has improved in the last 30 years, next to heart disease, more Americans die of cancer.
The good news is that Social Media has helped to raise awareness about the disease. The Breast Cancer Care Organization, one of several organizations that actively promote awareness and funding campaigns through Facebook have made a difference. The organization also invites bloggers to add their campaign buttons on their blog pages.
How is cancer defined? According to the American Cancer Society, “Cancer is the general name for a group of more than 100 diseases. Although there are many kinds of cancer, all cancers start because abnormal cells grow out of control.” So you might be asking, how can we control cancer cells from growing? What are researchers doing to answer the question?
One of the most recent areas of research has targeted stem cell transplant. Depending on the cancer diagnosed, stem cells are transplanted in the body the help restore cells that have died during chemotherapy or radiation treatment. The new healthy transplanted cells help to fight cancer cells. Also, there are cancer vaccines that specifically targets cancers caused by bacteria or virus. Currently there are trials of research that target tumors. The vaccines are made from actual cancer cells and then the cells are treated in a lab.
The National Institutes of Health approximate $200 billion as the cost of cancer yearly and although the overall death rate of disease continues to decline, there’s still a rate of increase of melanoma and includes cancer of the liver, pancreas and uterus. An estimated 570,000 Americans are expected to die from the disease this year.
Yet, the fight for a cure for the disease continues. Senesco Technology is a company committed to exploring a technology it believes can be important to finding a cure. It’s a gene called IF5A. The company has developed an innovative treatment in clinical stage that could eventually save lives.
The critical gene is responsible for regulating cell death. Cancer is a disease in which cells reproduce without dying. Senesco’s technology could help to finally end the tenacious disease. SNS01- T the treatment in the clinical stage can prove to be treatment for several cancer types including myeloma and lymphoma. SNS01 has a chemical inhibitor, including DNA to control the gene.
Despite the millions of dollars spent annually and the millions of Americans who have died from the disease, a cure for cancer seems closer at reach and hopefully, a sure cure for the disease will be accomplished in the next decade.
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