Cancer is one of those global diseases that strikes fear into the hearts of people who receive a diagnosis. There is a chance that a cancer can turn into a fatal event. Because of this fact, research has been ongoing for decades to determine what causes cancer, how it can be effectively treated, and how it can be put into permanent remission. A cure for cancer certainly carries with it a number of advantages, but there are certain disadvantages that a cure will bring as well.
The Pros of a Cure for Cancer
1. It will increase human lifespans further than they are right now.
In the developed world, the average human lifespan has topped 80 years of age in some nations. With cures for cancer available, this limit can be pushed even further. Although everyone has a certain time that fate, God, or science dictates, medical science can push the envelope further than ever before with a cure.
2. It would enhance life.
Many children suffer from cancer and a cure would remove this suffering away. Since children are the future of the world, their well-being helps us all to be able to live more fruitful lives. Their creativity, innocence, and unique perspectives on life could literally change the world in untold ways if cancer is eliminated from the equation.
3. It may lead to cures for other devastating diseases.
Once one door of medical science opens, a number of additional doors often open. Smallpox vaccines, for example, led to a number of additional vaccines and a new field of medical science that has virtually eliminated deadly diseases from the past. A cure for cancer could lead to cures for diseases like ALS, MS, muscular dystrophy, and even genetic disorders.
4. It would free up hundreds of millions of research dollars.
The quest for a cure as we stand up to cancer is taking hundreds of millions of dollars to make happen. Once a cure can be found and this information cascades down through the various cancers that afflict the human race, more funding will become available for other medical research that can even further enhance life as we currently know it.
5.It could reduce medical costs.
Many people who undergo cancer treatments will quickly accumulate millions of dollars of medical debt that is not always covered by healthcare insurance or guaranteed benefits. From chemotherapy to surgery to radiation, these procedures are also very difficult on the human body. Having a simplified cure for cancer could eliminate potentially lengthy treatment sessions, huge medical costs, and reduce the percentage of the GDP that is spent on healthcare needs.
6. It would give people empowerment to continue on.
When a cancer diagnosis occurs today, it is not uncommon for someone to feel like they’ve lost all hope. Some people will recover from this and turn toward fighting their cancer. Others are empowered to research their cancer to find out what they need to do. With a cure for cancer available, the loss of control that many people experience in their lives would no longer be as deep or problematic as it is today.
7. There would be no such thing as a “zero” percent.
Some metastatic cancers have long-term survival rates that hover around zero. With a cure for cancer available, even the most widespread metastatic cancers would still give people a fighting chance at life no matter what age they might be.
The Cons of a Cure for Cancer
1. It would be initially quite expensive.
Any new advancements in medical science tend to come at a high price. This high price is then traded for a longer life. The end result may mean that families are forced to go into bankruptcy or lose their retirement or college funds in order to save a life. The good news is that a life is saved. The bad news is that a cure for cancer could bankrupt many households.
2. It could create a new class system.
There is already a growing divide around the world between the rich and the poor. Having a cure for cancer available could only further enhance this divide. Those living in poverty or not having access to adequate medical care could find themselves still suffering from this terrible disease as the wealthier households around them benefit from the life-saving treatment that has been developed.
3. There could be unanticipated medical consequences.
For every action, it is said that there is an equal and opposite reaction. Finding a cure for cancer may certainly eliminate one of the most devastating issues that affects humanity today, but the result might just be another disease that has no cure which will do the same thing in the future that cancer is doing today.
4. Cancer could develop a resistance to the cure over time.
If there’s one thing that Mother Nature is able to prove time and time again, it is the fact that she has created a very resilient masterpiece. In less than five decades from the invention of antibiotics, there are bacteria that are resistant to what killed them off before. The same thing could happen when a cure for cancer is officially released. Although it may by us all a few decades of better overall treatment and care, cancer might come back stronger than before.
5. There will still be statistics.
In any medical treatment that is offered, including a routine surgery, there is a small percentage of risk that harm will occur. Up to 2% of the general population will not respond to medical treatments of any kind. Some people can’t take vaccines. Others must avoid surgery. Some people cannot have anesthesia because they would stop breathing. A cure for cancer will help many, but there is a good chance it will not have a 100% success rate. There will always be someone left out in the cold.
6. Age could play a factor.
In organ transplant waiting lists, some patients are placed on a priority list based on a number of different factors. The same could be done with a cure for cancer, administering it only at first to those who can lead the longest, most productive lives afterward.
How Do You Feel About a Cure For Cancer?
We often place finding a cure for cancer as a top priority for modern medical science. Although many people will benefit from this cure and many lives can be changed, there are still some cons that must be considered so that the potentially negative circumstances can be effectively countered. One day we will have a complete cure. It’s going to happen. Thinking about the entire perspective as seen above can make sure we’re ready for it.