• CoolMatt@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Hi I’m a fucking idiot, how can you beat cancer if there is no cure for it yet?

    I thought there was a cure but I guess not a very good one since some people don’t make it

    Edit: Thank you for the answers, that really cleared it up for me, and I understand cancer a bit better now.

    • Bolt@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      A “cure” in this situation means an essentially guaranteed method of treatment. Cancers vary greatly, with some being benign, some being very treatable, and some being extremely deadly (at least with current technology).

    • TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Cancer, as far as I’m aware, goes into remission and isn’t cured. Remission is when there isn’t any detectable signs of a cancer mass or growth in your body. So imaging doesn’t pick up any tumors, your blood work doesn’t indicate any hormonal changes, and biopsies come back negative.

      A cure would be like say there is no cancer and it won’t come back. Remission is more like we have no evidence of cancer and x% of maintain that state for x years.

      Fun fact: your body is constantly making cancerous cells, but you have the ability to detect and destroy them before they get out of hand. Keep that immune system strong.

      • Devi@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        That’s very simplistic, there’s loads of cancer treatments, what you’re describing is a kind of broad brush chemotherapy, but there’s lots of more targeted versions, then loads of different pills and potions, immunotherapies, radiotherapies and the good old “cut the thing out” method.

        Cancer treatment is the best funded area of medicine and there’s loooads of advances going on all the time.