REPLY

Joh

1. Why might it be true that we spend more money on treatment than on prevention?  Should we devote more of our resources to treating cancer or to preventing it?  Defend your choice.

- One incentive as to why drug companies place greater emphasis on cancer treatment as opposed to prevention is because after patenting a drug they expedite on demonstrating their product as "safe and effective" (Frakt 2015). It's all about time and money where the sooner they complete "those studies, the longer they have until the patent runs out, which is the period of time during which profit margins are highest"(Frakt 2015). In my personal opinion, "most" products that are human carcinogens or let alone toxic substances should be banned. I am not talking about cigarettes or alcohol but more so hidden chemicals in products that can cause cancer. This is automatically an easy preventative measure. However, there still should be greater funding towards late-stage cancer treatment as I do think it's probably more urgent considering that it is life-threatening and time-sensitive. Although I do understand genetics play a huge role in causing cancer in humans, I do also think it is also in our best interest to take personal responsibility for our own health and well-being to prevent cancer. For instance, smokers who willingly smoke not due to an addiction, for their mere enjoyment, have been made aware that cigarettes can cause cancer, and that is an independent choice they have made. 

 2.  Pick one type of cancer and describe the following: the causes of this type of cancer, what gene or genes are/are mutated/deregulated to cause this cancer, and at least one prevention method (lifestyle change, habit, increased awareness, etc.) that can be used to reduce the risk of developing your chosen cancer.

- I selected oral cancer for this section because it's usually one of the more forgotten ones that are caused by tobacco use next to lung cancer. According to Friedman (2019), oral cancer is a growth or sore in the mouth that does not go away which includes cancers of the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, hard and soft palate, sinuses, and pharynx (throat). Common symptoms include Swellings/thickenings, lumps or bumps, rough spots or eroded areas inside the mouth, unexplained bleeding in the mouth, unexplained numbness, loss of feeling, or pain/tenderness in any area of the face, difficulty chewing or swallowing, or moving the jaw or tongue, and etc. Risk factors that lead to the development of oral cancer include the use of cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco. According to Genes and Oral Cancer, "the p53 gene appears to be mutated at the transition of superficial to invasive carcinoma." One prevention and reduction method against oral cancer is to not use any tobacco products and limit alcoholc consumption.

 3.  Take one of the references you utilized in formulating your answer to part 2 of this conference and discuss whether you felt it was a scientifically accurate source of information.  Why or why not?  What are some of the criteria you use in determining the scientific validity of a source? 

- I believe the references that I garnered to arrive at my answer are scientifically accurate in that oral cancer is caused primarily by the use of tobacco products. On a smokeless tobacco product cover, there is attached a warning statement that warns users that it can cause mouth(oral) cancer. Tobacco companies have to follow strict warning statement requirements, according to the FDA. Additionally, you will find on Healthline pictures of human oral damage caused by oral cancer. 

Citiatons:

Colbert, Treacy. “What Does Mouth Cancer Look Like? 5 Pictures of Mouth Cancer.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 10 June 2019, www.healthline.com/health/what-does-mouth-cancer-look.

Products, Center for Tobacco. “Smokeless Tobacco Labeling and Warning Statement Requirements.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/labeling-and-warning-statements-tobacco-products/smokeless-tobacco-labeling-and-warning-statement-requirements.

Jurel, Sunit Kumar, et al. “Genes and Oral Cancer.” Indian Journal of Human Genetics, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, Jan. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065477/.

“Throat Cancer: Types, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Stages.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/throat-cancer-symptoms-treatments.

“Mouth Cancer.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 20 Oct. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mouth-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20350997.

Rob

1. I believe we spend more money on treating cancer than preventing it for multiple reasons. For starters, there's no cancer that is 100% preventable. Our lifestyle choices and genetic disposition determine how predisposed we are to contracting it. For example, women who have abnormal genes such as mutated BRCA-1, BRCA-2 or PALB 2 are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer. I don't know how advanced research is in regards to Gene study but I know at this time in life it's pretty impossible to rewrite someone's genetic makeup. If it were possible, I'm thinking it would be very expensive procedure that the average middle class citizen couldn't afford. So the best possible solution would be treatment after or ensuring you maintain a certain lifestyle. 

Another reason I believe we spend more money on treatment rather than prevention is because its a lucrative business. I think pharmaceutical companies are in the business of sustaining life but to a certain extent. I believe companies would rather feed middle/lower class citizens treatment to ensure profit rather than to provide a 1 stop cure. There's no real money in providing a cure, but there's big money in having people dependent on life sustaining treatment.

2. As I wrote earlier, Breast Cancer is caused by having  abnormal genes such as mutated BRCA-1, BRCA-2 or PALB 2. Women are more susceptible to Breast Cancer if they have a family history of it as well. Women who've experienced mesopause or are over the age of 50 are more likely at risk of it as well. I wouldn't call this a preventative method, because there's no way to prevent it, but mammograms and medical screening could possibly identify the abnormalities that may lead to cancer. A healthy lifestyle and limiting postmenopausal therapy could decrease the chances as well. 

3. Breast cancer - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

I think that this information is pretty accurate on the account that I've read multiple articles and researched multiple sources. All of the sources reason with the same information and explain the same info in different ways. If I had to assess the article from a scientific standpoint, I would research the mutated genes discussed earlier to really understand the significance of it. 

Brit

Good evening,

      Per (Kalodimos, 2016),  one of the reasons why health care providers do not spend more money on preventative care and spend more on treatment is because of the fear of failure to discover a cure.  Many people around the world will sue the health provider or become very livid with them that they will ultimately lose money.  However, this should not be the case and American Health Care needs to invest in the research and development of preventative care for all civilians as it will benefit people in the long term.  Additionally, another reason is that the health care providers are utilizing the treatment care for more of a profit as patients continue to pursue the costs of these treatments.

     Within the United States alone 221,121 new cases were developed and 145,849 people were reported dead during the year 2017 from Lung and Bronchus cancer (CDC, 2017).  This type of cancer occurs when the mutations are built up and separating in such a manner that it forms a tumor.  The changes that are created are known as Somatic mutations which have been located in a variety of different cancer cells and are common amongst lung cancer.  The DNA, in this process, becomes damaged and the cells may undergo apoptosis; self destruct itself.  However, an individual can practice to prevent the lung cancer by simply not smoking!  Smoking caused lung disease to increase in 2002 with 55 out of 100,000 people (Smarternutrition, 2021).  

     I found the information provided by the sources that I cited to be accurate in regards to smoking.  My mother smokes and has been for 22 years.  It becomes a habit that oneself cannot break out of in one day and I can easily observe how fast it is to become addicted to tobacco.  Almost every person I see within the Marine Corps smokes and I wish that was not the case!

Resources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, June). USCS Data Visualizations - CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://gis.cdc.gov/Cancer/USCS/DataViz.html.

Kalodimos, H. (2016, February 23). Why Do We Pay More to Treat Illness Than Prevent It? LDI. https://ldi.upenn.edu/healthpolicysense/why-do-we-pay-more-treat-illness-prevent-it.

7 Natural Habits to Prevent Lung Disease. Smarter Nutrition. (n.d.). https://smarternutrition.com/blogs/news/7-natural-habits-to-prevent-lung-disease.

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2020, August 18). Lung cancer: MedlinePlus Genetics. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/lung-cancer/#causes.