The Purpose of Research
Approximately 3600 years ago, in a document now known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus, the Egyptians authored the first portrayal of cancer. Since the Egyptian’s first described this destructive disease, innumerable attempts have been made to find a cure–a cure that the human race still eagerly awaits.
Meanwhile, modern medicine has delivered an array of treatment strategies that have assisted millions in their fight with cancer. In some cases, modern treatment modalities can result in a complete cure. As a whole, however, the disease has evaded our quest for a cure.
Learn more about the the research taking place in the following areas:
Ovarian Cancer Research
Breast Cancer Research
Lung Cancer Research
Pancreatic Cancer Research
Prostate Cancer Research
Skin Cancer Research
SO, WHERE WILL THE CURE COME FROM?
Will it come from a billion dollar government-sponsored think tank? Perhaps. Numerous vaccinations and curative treatment strategies have been developed by such organizations. Or, will the hard work of a handful of scientists and philanthropists yield a cure? Maybe. The 1992 Academy Award-nominated film “Lorenzo’s Oil” recounts the true story of two parents who helped develop a cure for their son’s adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).
No matter who or what delivers the ultimate cure for cancer, the underlining impetus for that cure will be research.
The human mind is inexplicably saturated with a desire, a need even, to search for answers. This desire has given us language, fire, metal tools, automobiles, microchips, and telescopes that can see the farway fringes of the universe. And because of this desire, cancer will one day exist only in history books, not in our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities.
Today’s Cancer Research
Research is defined by Merriam-Webster as a “careful or diligent search.” Thereupon, cancer research may be portrayed as the “careful” and “diligent” quest to understand cancer’s affect on the human race. This quest is the lifework of countless individuals and institutions around the world, devoted to the enrichment of the human experience from Tokyo to Tanzania, and from New York to Nepal.
