This is an interesting precursor to curing cancer. What will happen to the leukaemia industrial complex? The charities? the specialists? the drugs? Will they all just close shop and go home?
I think you shouldn't allow yourself to become too cynical, even when you see bad examples like the komen foundation. I have no doubt the vast vast majority of doctors and charity employees that treat or support leukemia patients would be delighted (in particular, I'd bet many volunteers have been personally affected) to declare victory and either retrain for different diseases or find another hobby.
edit: for an example rather than a hypothetical, see polio
edit2: also, if this works, an enormous chunk of doctors, medical researchers, and scientists are going to drop whatever they're doing and frantically attempt to apply this technique to every cancer one can think of
All the cancers have one thing in common: unregulated cell growth. Any victory against one type of cancer is a step forward that may help us one day find a permanent cure for all types of cancer. Besides, Leukemia is amongst the most common types, so I don't get the cynicism of some people in this thread.
Leukemia doesn't affect many enough people in reproductive age to cause a population explosion. Basically, no medical advance can cause population explosion in the rich world: there are very few people dying from disease in reproductive ages there. Making people who would otherwise die at 55 live through 95 does not make a population explosion because they won't have any kids anyways.
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This is an interesting precursor to curing cancer. What will happen to the leukaemia industrial complex? The charities? the specialists? the drugs? Will they all just close shop and go home?
I think you shouldn't allow yourself to become too cynical, even when you see bad examples like the komen foundation. I have no doubt the vast vast majority of doctors and charity employees that treat or support leukemia patients would be delighted (in particular, I'd bet many volunteers have been personally affected) to declare victory and either retrain for different diseases or find another hobby.
edit: for an example rather than a hypothetical, see polio
edit2: also, if this works, an enormous chunk of doctors, medical researchers, and scientists are going to drop whatever they're doing and frantically attempt to apply this technique to every cancer one can think of
Move on to another disease that has yet to be cured or feasibly treated?
Such as one of the uncountable numbers of other types of cancers?
All the cancers have one thing in common: unregulated cell growth. Any victory against one type of cancer is a step forward that may help us one day find a permanent cure for all types of cancer. Besides, Leukemia is amongst the most common types, so I don't get the cynicism of some people in this thread.
Also what about the sudden population explosion? What if the survivors need after care for the rest of their lives, or expensive drugs?
Leukemia doesn't affect many enough people in reproductive age to cause a population explosion. Basically, no medical advance can cause population explosion in the rich world: there are very few people dying from disease in reproductive ages there. Making people who would otherwise die at 55 live through 95 does not make a population explosion because they won't have any kids anyways.
What sudden population explosion? I'm fairly sure that leukemia isn't playing a huge role in demographics.
Gladly, I would think!