This is incredibly good news. So many researchers have been looking for a way to alter the inmmune system to target cancer, and it's surprising (but also makes sense) that the solution seems to be around HIV. It's this kind of out of the box thinking that pushes forward.
And this: "this small trial involving just three patients was lucky to go ahead at all. The study was rejected by pharamceutical companies and the National Cancer Institute.".
There's a very good talk on TEDMed from David Agus, about proteomics and cancer research. He bubbles up a similar concern about limitations of clinical trials.
His graph with heart disease, etc. is misleading; if we have made all those reductions in those areas and cancer deaths have remained the same, we have obviously made progress in cancer as well: since less people are dying of the other stuff, they have a greater chance of eventually contracting cancer.
I agree you could argue that. But rather than crunching numbers, I think his point was to illustrate the state of some cancer treatments today. How despite of everything and all advances in medicine,we still need to make HUGE improvements in cancer.
For example, pancreatic cancer. Prognosis is 20% 1 year survival and five-year rate is 4%. The best approved treatment so far is Gemzar, which was introduced in the early 80's. It's improve rate over other chemos was that it works in 23% of the patients, and improves the median survival to 5.65 months compared to 4.41 months with 5-flu chemo.
Over 20 years and some of the best we got is +1.2 months and for only 23% of the patients. That's what he's pushing for and I support,improving this rates.
In the end It's not about crunching numbers and making one disease or other look better tackled. It's about having hope for all this people and know something can be done, instead of staring at such a grim prognosis.
And this: "this small trial involving just three patients was lucky to go ahead at all. The study was rejected by pharamceutical companies and the National Cancer Institute.".
There's a very good talk on TEDMed from David Agus, about proteomics and cancer research. He bubbles up a similar concern about limitations of clinical trials.
http://www.ted.com/talks/david_agus_a_new_strategy_in_the_wa...