Will we ever beat cancer?

[whynot]

Just for context, I have lost a brother to cancer at a young age (45). Two of my work colleagues who sat beside me in tech college have also died from cancer. My GP has terminal cancer ... and the list goes on.

I have two mechanical heart valves due to a congenital defect. I should be dead by now, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I am alive and kicking. If I had lived 40 years earlier and being unable to access mechanical heart valves, my cause of death would have been marked down as heart failure.

Five years ago, I had polyps removed during a routine colonoscopy. Polyps are a lead indicator to bowl cancer. A month ago, I had more polyps removed. Doctor said come back in five years.

If we play the "what if" game, and I didn't have the polyps removed, there is a reasonable chance these would now be early stages of cancer. Still playing the what if game and assuming I did nothing, it is reasonable to expect I would die of bowl cancer in my 70's, and be written down in the statistics as such.

Because of the progress of medical technology, I hope to avoid that fate.

But, death comes to us all at some point. As we progress medical technology and increase life expectancy, something else pops up. Be that another form of cancer, strokes, dementia, and so forth.

There is some really interesting reading and data in the GRIM books. For example, the rise (from the 1950's) and fall (starting in the 1980's) of deaths due to lung cancer. Or dramatic decline in death due to strokes. It really highlights the improvements in medical technology.

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life...ity-grim-books

I don't think we will ever beat cancer. In just the same way that we will never beat death. But, it is impressive how technology is able to delay cancer. Sometimes for months, sometime for years, and sometimes for decades.