USA And Cancer: "Too Many False Promises"

The war on cancer "got stuck and there's no will to unglue it," according to Ellen Stoval of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. And John Bailar of the University of Chicago says the flow of significant new cancer drugs is essentially zero now; he is simply no longer convinced that there are a lot of wonderful cures waiting to be found.

But while Richard Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute, admits that "for too long we've made false promises," he noted the frustration of not finding a cure with the conclusion: "we're not making progress." Scientists are only now unlocking crucial genetic mysteries, he said, and the major question is whether patients will believe scientists' claims, yet again, that they are closing in on a cure.

Frustrated patients note that most cancer drugs approved recently by the Food and Drug Administration have offered only a few more months of life. Because of this, only 2%-3% of cancer patients take part in clinical trials for potential new cures, and instead turn to unapproved treatments being touted in places such as the Internet.