Informative Brochure

ENG115

Cancer is a disease, caused by abnormalities in the genetics of transformed cells. It appears in a variety of areas throughout the human body including the lungs, heart, brain, and even the skin. In the U.S. most people with cancer have it in areas that aren’t even widely know as a main area that contracts the disease. Although there is no widely known cure for cancer, there are many ways to treat it and prolong the life of those affected by it. There are many companies involved in the research and development of new drugs for the treatment of cancer patients, many of which hope to one day accomplish the ultimate goal of curing this atrocious disease. The process of developing the drugs that treat cancer is a long and meticulous one. In order for a new treatment to become available to patients, it must first go through a series of experiments. When a company wants to market a new drug to the public, it submits an NDA (New Drug Application) to the FDA for review. The company must prove through this application that the drug has been tested and is safe and effective (1.). But, even though it may pass as a safe drug to distribute, in the best interests of the developing company, it must also be economically cost effective. When developing a new treatment for cancer patients, some companies come across treatments that come from the hormones of animals. In cases like this, harvesting the animals for these hormones becomes an economic issue. How much will it cost to farm the animal? How can we harvest the hormone without seriously damaging the population? An example of how to solve this problem comes from the story of a drug developed for the treatment of Osteoporosis called calcitonin. Calcitonin is a hormone found in salmon; similar to one found in humans, that strengthens bones. But, likely because the company developing the drug did not want to deal with the laws around salmon farming, they decided to develop a synthetic alternative to the natural hormone calcitonin (1.).
On the other hand, Cancer and Osteoporosis are two separate diseases and cancer treatments are a little more complex than just a single synthetic hormone. Cancer in humans is very difficult to treat because there are so many different types and levels of severity. Every type of cancer has a different mortality rate, meaning some patients are in more urgent need of treatment than others. The mortality rates for the different types of cancer in the U.K. can be seen here. In certain cases, cancer patients may be introduced to drugs that have not yet been approved by the FDA for the general public. In these situations the special needs patient will need to fill out an application to be a part of a clinical trial, which is one of the steps that new drugs for cancer patients go through before they can be approved. In the 1970’s a special classification of drug was formed for specific physicians to be able to use on cancer patients. This classification was called Group C, and it has since been used to speed new drugs to patients who need them most (2.).
The benefit of all of these options for cancer patients is simple. All different forms of cancer require different treatments, so these options are available for patients to be able to find whatever treatment meets their specific needs. When Bob Marley was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he sought the help of the world’s highest qualified cancer specialist at the time, Josef Issels, who lived in Germany (3.). Although Bob was incurable at the time he went in for treatment, Issels still tried many approaches to treating his Melanoma. Much like this example, there are many esteemed doctors today who are experts in the field of cancer treatment, which furthers the point that there are many different levels of treatment available to all different sorts of patients.
To conclude, Cancer is a horrible disease that takes hundreds of thousands of lives each year. In order to prevent so many lives from being lost, there are tons of companies developing treatments that will help save many. The approval process for these treatments may be a long one but no matter, because there is hope for every patient to receive the treatment they require.

References:

1. U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. How Drugs are Developed and Approved. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/HowDrugsareDevelopedandApproved/default.htm 2. Comprehensive Cancer Information - National Cancer Institute.Approval Process for New Cancer Treatments - National Cancer Institute. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learningabout/approval-process-for-cancer-drugs/page4 3. AllExperts Questions & Answers. Bob Marley: Bob Marley's Death, josef issels, brain tumor. Retrieved from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Bob-Marley-3273/f/Bob-Marley-Death.htm