Posted 1/6/2012 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
InSoFla, most patients die within 2 years of diagnosis of cancer. And yes, there is a need for better anti-cancer therapies, and it's being worked on. Have you seen the new studies on oncolytic viruses and anticancer vaccines. I have a friend who works in the latter field, in industry. They take patient cells and expose them to prostate tumor antigen to prime them to attack the tumors, then put them back in the patient. Unfortunately at this point it's only used as a late stage treatment, but there are still significant increases in longevity.
Also RE the late Mr. Jobs, most people agree that delaying surgery in lieu of holistic treatments is exactly what killed him. Jobs himself expressed regret over this towards the end of his life. The form of pancreatic cancer he had was an uncommon and less aggressive form than is normally seen and if he had had the surgery, chances are he'd still be alive.
And as COUPhD mentioned, NIH funding is abysmal right now. My university has drastically decreased the class size because very few researchers have money.
Also regarding drug trials and publications: First, even if the funding is through pharma companies, the research is STILL peer reviewed. That means other scientists at Science, Nature, Vaccine, J. of Immunology, whatever, sit down, read the paper mulitple times, suggest revisions and make sure the results are sound. Things still slip through the cracks now and then, but it's far less common than you insinuate. Secondly, pharma companies often have clinical trials conducted by outside affiliates, often at hospital campuses. Examples would be large vaccine centers and clinics that have the capacity to test many patients.