A cure for cancer?

[GA Russell]

Scientists in London believe that they may have found a cure for cancer; but they have not tried it yet on humans, so it is too early to say for sure.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35718491

[jazzbo]

Promising news!

[paul secor]

Let's hope that something positive comes from this.

[Jazzmoose]

Not to be a pessimist, but shouldn't all stories like this begin "stop me if you've heard this before".  I've decided that 99% (minimum) of science reporting in the press is BS.  A scientist says "there seems to be a correlation between these two events", and the press reports it as "this causes that!".  Reporters are basically idiots who think their readers are even worse idiots, so they take their own misinterpretations and dumb them down even further.  This is how we get such nonsense as "I don't believe man came from monkeys" when no one ever claimed they did. 

 

Damn; I'm ranting, aren't I?  Maybe I finally miss the politics forum... 

[ejp626]

I think at best they may have made a breakthrough for one kind of cancer, not all cancers.  But any improved treatments are a good thing.

[Tim McG]

On 3/5/2016 at 8:33 AM, Jazzmoose said:

Not to be a pessimist, but shouldn't all stories like this begin "stop me if you've heard this before".  I've decided that 99% (minimum) of science reporting in the press is BS.  A scientist says "there seems to be a correlation between these two events", and the press reports it as "this causes that!".  Reporters are basically idiots who think their readers are even worse idiots, so they take their own misinterpretations and dumb them down even further.  This is how we get such nonsense as "I don't believe man came from monkeys" when no one ever claimed they did. 

 

Damn; I'm ranting, aren't I?  Maybe I finally miss the politics forum... 

Totally agree, Jazzmoose,

Where I certainly hope and pray for a cure, those of us fighting this disease get a lot of free advice from well meaning people. Where there have been many advances in the treatment of cancer to the point it isn't the death penalty it used to be, I, too, am very wary of this or that next new claim of a cure. Sadly, as you know, taking the "wait and see" approach is almost always the best option.

Rant away, my friend! 
 

Edited March 6, 2016 by Tim McG

[Niko]

near the end of a newspaper interview, a scientist friend was recently asked the following: "How come the stuff you're saying is so much more balanced and less flashy than what I've read in previous articles about your work?"  The journalist then quickly answered the question for himself...