Cancer Language is Evolving
- At today’s “People Versus Cancer” event hosted by The Atlantic, Dr. Karen Knudsen and Dr. Ned Sharpless discuss the changing language around cancer and why calling it a “battle” or “war” is charged, yet helpful when it comes to legislation.
- This year marks 50 years since President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, which dedicated millions of dollars of funding for cancer research in the U.S.
- As a result of the pandemic, there could be as much as a 1% increase in cancer mortality rates in the U.S., as a result of missed or delayed screenings.
What is the War on Cancer?
The “War on Cancer” refers to the National Cancer Act of 1971 initiated by President Richard Nixon. The American public wanted a cure for cancer and in his January 1971 State of the Union address, President Richard Nixon responded, saying, “I will also ask for an appropriation of an extra $100 million to launch an intensive campaign to find a cure for cancer, and I will ask later for whatever additional funds can effectively be used.”
Language Around Cancer
During today’s panel, Dr. Karen Knudsen, the CEO of the American Cancer Society, and Dr. Ned Sharpless, the Director of the National Cancer Institute, spoke about the changing direction of the language around cancer diagnosis, treatment, and remission.
“The ‘war on cancer’ is a charged analogy. I think for many reasons doctors don’t like to use it around patients.”
Dr. Sharpless says, “I think the National Cancer Act in many ways created this sort of moderate cancer infrastructure we had today that’s made cancer progress possible. The ‘war on cancer’ is a charged analogy. I think for many reasons doctors don’t like to use it around patients. Patients didn’t volunteer to be soldiers in this war. It has some baggage, and I think in many ways it is not useful in talking to say advocacy and specific patient populations.”
He continues, “It still has some value though in speaking to Congress. Congress understands the idea of a campaign that requires marshaling resources and everybody pitching in. And so I think that’s why it persists, is that it is appealing to some legislators and it is a good way, frankly, to talk about the kind of trans governmental commitment we need to really fight cancer.”
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Advancement in Cancer Treatments
"600,000 Americans die of cancer every year," says Dr. Sharpless. "We need a concerted effort; everyone working together to advance progress for our patients."
Some cancers have had less progress than others in the past 50 years.
Dr. Sharpless and Dr. Knudsen note that many advancements have been made in the treatment of cancer, although some cancers, such as pancreatic, remain more difficult to treat. However, the development of liquid biopsies and early detection can change things for pancreatic cancer, they say. "Understanding cancer risk as associated with care plan is fertile ground for advancement,” says Dr. Sharpless.
"We have 17 million cancer survivors right now in this country,” says Dr. Knudsen, on the country’s progress in fighting the disease. Dr. Sharpless notes how some cancers, like breast cancer, have seen tremendous advancements in treatments due to the discovery of “many different subtypes of breast cancer.”
“It’s allowed us to develop highly specific therapies for small sub-sets of cancer, versus a ‘silver bullet,'” says Dr. Sharpless. Both he and Dr. Knudsen note the declining cancer mortality rates in the U.S. and increased approvals from the FDA for cancer therapies as points of progress in the past 50 years.
The decline in cancer mortalities can be directly attributed to advancements in cancer research. “We even have a ‘cancer vaccine,’ says Dr. Knudsen, “the HPV vaccine. We’ve turned the page as a population not just for treating cancer, but preventing some cancers.”
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Covid-19 Affecting Cancer
Both doctors noted how Covid-19 has affected cancer diagnoses, treatment, and research. Some cancers may have gone undetected during the pandemic, which could limit treatment options when people get a proper diagnosis.
Related: 5 COVID-19 Vaccine Questions Answered by Expert Physician
On the research side, the pandemic has had a positive impact. Anecdotally, the doctors noted how there have been great strides during the pandemic when it comes to research for cancer treatments. Both doctors point to the fact that the pandemic’s impact on screenings for cancer could lead to as much as “a 1% increase in mortality, due to delayed cancer diagnoses.”
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