An end-game for cancer

Abstract

For much of the 20th century, cancer was the most feared and, in many ways, the most mysterious of the major life-threatening diseases. As we begin the 21st century, cancer is still, both in perception and reality, a very real concern for public health. However, the challenges and opportunities facing us today are far different from those facing our colleagues of a hundred years ago. As the 20th century progressed, the body of knowledge related to cancer and its treatment grew significantly, leaving fewer and fewer questions to be resolved, and during the past 10 years, a number of important events have occurred, leading almost inevitably to the conclusion that cancer is no longer the threat it once was. Today, it is not a question of whether we will control cancer, but rather when and how quickly.