I read a (mercifully) short, fascinating, easily understood article in New Scientist about a drug called DCA that filled me with hope. Then shattered it.
The article in a nutshell details a drug called dichloroacetate that switches off cancers 'immortality' function. The drug has been used for years for metabolic maladies, and has been around so long there's no patent.
Rats given DCA-flavored water had tumors of all kinds that shrunk; lung, breast and brain cancer cells. Healthy cells were unaffected.
Here's the bit in the article that dismayed me:
The next step is to run clinical trials of DCA in people with cancer. These may have to be funded by charities, universities and governments: pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to pay because they can’t make money on unpatented medicines.
It seems to good to be true. A cheap, effective cancer cure that BigPharma doesn't own. If further research proves effective in humans, it could be the answer to many peoples prayers. I've always thought something simple, rather than the current convoluted regimen of surgery, radiation and chemicals would be the cure for cancer.
Again, if proven effective, will we ever see it in use in this country? Will patients have to take 'DCA tours' to Canada for treatment?