Cancer and COVID-19… Science’s Victory and Politics’ Failure

Cancer and COVID-19… Science’s Victory and Politics’ Failure

International and Arab News

Two years ago, on days like today, we would stand before the throne of cancer, the emperor of all diseases, with fear and awe. That was the case for many years. Today, a new visitor has come to Earth and is fighting for cancer's throne. It is COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The difference between the two diseases is massive. COVID-19 is temporary. It kills, causes suffering and destroys, but in the end, it will end after a year or two at most. As for cancer, it is a disease that will remain, torturing, killing and crushing human dignity. Nonetheless, one thing that both diseases have in common is the vast gap between the knowledge that we have accumulated about them through scientific research on the one hand and our understanding of how to use it to protect humans and treat the sick on the other.

Today, we know enough to prevent more than 75 percent of cancers and fully cure more than 60 percent of patients.

However, we use less than 8 percent of all the knowledge we have accumulated to treat and prevent cancer. Take prevention, for example. One-third of cancer patients became sick because of