This article was in last Sunday’s Washington Post and was written by our very own Oncologist, Dr John Marshall:

Please take some time to read it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/25/AR2009112503408.html

Cancer medicine is often regarded as an area of significant progress and clinical research, so we should be able to tell without much difficulty what kinds of treatment are valuable and what kinds aren’t. But given that 80 percent of my patients will die of their cancer, it’s clear that we have not found an “optimum” therapy.

…The United States is the only place on Earth with relatively unfettered access to cancer care, including the latest medicines, sophisticated scans and high-tech radiation, all of which are very expensive. But despite their more limited access, cancer patients in other high-income nations may live longer and with a higher quality of life than patients in this country.

…The future of cancer care will rely on personalized medicine. This requires a significant change to our medical system, which is built around one size-fits-all treatment and seemingly unrestricted access to care. The system answers our emotional needs and provides some hope for a cure, but moves us forward only a few yards at a time.

…Oncologists are optimists, and I am proud to be among them. I truly believe we can cure cancer. I care greatly for my patients and am doing everything in my power to improve and lengthen their lives. When I offer a clinical trial to a patient, I am hopeful that it will be better than the standard treatment. I am optimistic that health-care reform will not simply provide everyone with insurance that will cover the “standard of care” but will also force us to determine the true value of treatments

Like so many other things this day and age, personalization is the key to finding a cure for cancer but is that a pill people can swallow? Hard to say when its you being asked to take it…