Interesting article in the New Yorker about
cancer research/treatment. It hypothesizes that too much focus is given to the patient’s cancer and not enough to the patient’s “host tissue.” Here’s the link, but beware that it’s a very long read. As such, I’ll try and sum up the main point.
/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/09/11/cancers-invasion-equationThe author uses a “seed and soil” metaphor, with the tumor the “seed” and our bodies the “soil.” It questions why the host tissue in some people are receptive to cancer cells, which can lead to metastasis, while for reasons we don’t understand some people are naturally better at fending off the cancer cells. In other words, it’s not just the aggressiveness of the cancer, but it’s how our bodies respond to that cancer.
Unfortunately—according to the author—both research and treatment is focused on the cancer, as opposed to the patient’s host tissue. As a result, doctors can’t assess the risks of various systemic treatments like chemo since we can’t predict how likely the patient would need systemic treatment in the first place.
So while we’ve become better and better at finding cancers earlier, we really haven’t improved much in finding out whether or not those cancers can do real damage.
I’m just scratching the surface here—if you’re interested, set aside an hour and read the entire article. I’m not sure where I land on this myself, but it was thought provoking.