How Cancer Treatments are Improving All the Time

Cancer is a serious problem. Mesothelioma sufferers have a bleaker outlook. Less than 8% of mesothelioma sufferers live for longer than five years after diagnosis. With 3,000 new cases appearing in the US every single year, many people are depressed about the thought of experiencing cancer.

But the fact is that cancer treatments are improving all the time. And this goes for all cancers. More awareness and a greater burden on state healthcare systems mean that cancer treatments are a priority.

So how are cancer treatments improving all the time?

More Exposure

The key to curing any illness in the 21^st century is public exposure. This allows teams working on treatments to acquire more funding. Breast cancer awareness drives, for example, have considerably increased the amount of funding for new treatments for breast cancer.

But cancer has gained a lot more exposure over the years. A greater understanding of the disease and a larger number of confirmed cases has brought more state and public funding to coming up with treatments.

It should come as no surprise that this has led to better cancer treatments.

A Focus on Alternative Treatments

Alternative cancer therapies have come about because of people starting to think creatively. Conventional drugs have done little to improve life expectancy. One study revealed that of the 72 cancer therapies approved between 2002-2014 the average increase in life expectancy is just 2.1 months.

For such a long period, this is extremely disappointing. And it has led to a variety of alternative therapies that focus on the holistic as well as the medicinal.

Looking Towards Lifestyle Change

 There’s strong evidence to show that many types of cancer can be controlled, or even cured, through making dramatic changes to a person’s lifestyle. It’s never too old to change. Even though 59% of all cancer patients are over 65, there are still remarkable stories of people who have lived through making simple changes to their lifestyles.

Take Paul Kraus as an example. He’s the longest surviving mesothelioma survivor ever. He was diagnosed in 1997 and continues to live 20 years later, despite barely any mesothelioma sufferers living longer than five years.

And that’s because he made huge changes to his diet, exercise habits, and the medical treatments he accepted.

Big Pharma is Forced to Work Harder

 It’s a fact that no study has ever come up with a link between the amount you pay for a cancer drug and the benefit you get from that drug. This is now a well-known fact. It’s important because it has convinced people to make better choices. It’s also forced big pharma to work harder on creating drugs that are genuinely effective.

Even many doctors are questioning why they would ask patients to pay tens of thousands of dollars every year for marginal gains.

By forcing industry change in this way it’s encouraging further innovation for cancer treatments.

Last Word – The Future is Brighter

 It’s becoming more likely that a cancer sufferer will survive their illness and live for many years to come. Cancer treatments are improving as we begin to understand the illness better. Scientists are thinking creatively, which is only increasing the rate of innovation.

Do you believe the future is bright for cancer survivors?