[Malacite]

Just saw this on TV, figured I'd post the weblink as it's very interesting.

Scientists unlock genetic code in major cancer breakthrough - CNN.com

London, England (CNN) -- The entire genetic codes of two common types of cancer have been cracked, according to scientists, who say the breakthrough could unlock a new era in the treatment of deadly diseases.


Scientists at the UK-based Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute catalogued the genetic maps of skin and lung cancer and have pinpointed the specific mutations within DNA that can lead to dangerous tumors.
Researchers predict these maps will offer patients a personalized treatment option that ranges from earlier detection to the types of medication used to treat cancer.

The genetic maps will also allow cancer researchers to study cells with defective DNA and produce more powerful drugs to fight the errors, according to the the study's scientists.
"The knowledge we extract over the next few years will have major implications for treatment," Peter Campbell from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute said.
"By identifying all the cancer genes we will be able to develop new drugs that target the specific mutated genes and work out which patients will benefit from these novel treatments."
Scientists found that the DNA code for skin cancer contained nearly 30,000 errors and lung cancer DNA contained more than 23,000.

"These are the two main cancers in the developed world for which we know the primary exposure," Mike Stratton, from the Cancer Genome Project said.
"For lung cancer, it is cigarette smoke and for malignant melanoma it is exposure to sunlight.
"With these genome sequences, we have been able to explore deep into the past of each tumor, uncovering with remarkable clarity the imprints of these environmental mutagens on DNA, which occurred years before the tumor became apparent."
The study suggests that an error occurs for every 15 cigarettes that are smoked.

Scientists as part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium in other countries around the world are completing similar studies -- the UK is looking at breast cancer, the U.S. at brain, ovary and pancreatic cancer, and Japan at the liver.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and claims more than seven million lives each year according to the World Health Organization.

[TheGrandMom]

It's wonderful to see any advancement on the cancer front. When I was younger, it was a scary word but not much more than that. Then I watched my auntie waste away from skin cancer that spread to her brain and spine...it was horrible. Years after that my dad died from liver cancer that spread to his colon. Recently my mother has been diagnosed with COPD andthe doctor has been watching her closely because she has lung spots that could develop into cancer. (At least this finally scared the pants off her and she's stopped smoking after 60 years.) It's hard to lose someone close to you but losing them to cancer is sometimes a slow agonizing process. It would be wonderful to see more development in this area.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

I heard some of the details a couple weeks ago, kinda hoped the news would shake up the idiots in Washington and get them to rethink a lot of the crud they're trying to pass as health care "reform." The whole thing's crap and they need to start over.

[Feba]

Oh, BBQ. Is there anything you can't link back to the government being idiots?

[TheGrandMom]

Hmmmm....SE not releasing FFXIII simultaneously?

[Feba]

Originally Posted by TheGrandMom

Hmmmm....SE not releasing FFXIII simultaneously?

CLEARLY the fault of the government for not properly intervening in Microsoft's anti-trust case.

If those damn Washington FAT CATS would DO THEIR JOBS and PROTECT THE LITTLE GUY, this wouldn't be an issue because Microsoft would be running a gaming company, they'd have been split up like the Bells were back in my day. Without the money from Windows, Xbox never would've been able to afford to buy SE like that.

[Balfree]

A while ago: Cancer is terrible, it kills people, makes us
A while ago + a couple of days: There is no cure! There is nooooooo cure!
A while ago + a bunch of years: Oh look we think we found a cure.
A while ago + a bunch of years: Shit! Swine Flu!
A while ago + a bunch of days: NO CUUUUUUUUUUUUURE FOR SWINE FLU!
A while ago + a bunch of days: Oh look, we are making progress in curing cancer...
A while ago + a bunch of days: SHIT SWINE FLU IS KILLING PEOPLE.
A while ago + a bunch of days: We can cure cancer we think!
A while ago + a bunch of days: We can prevent swine flu!
A while ago + a bunch of days: PEOPLE ARE DIEING FROM THE SWINE FLU VACCINE.

Now: Nothing changed.

Sometimes i just feel like someone is really just fucking us over.

Oh im so naive for "sometimes feeling".

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

I guess some people haven't dealt that much with federal and state employees much yet. Competence is something I've come to learn they're not capable of. That and they get holidays for anything and everything.

Personally, as far a science and health goes these days, I'm wondering if we just live in an alarmist culture. Everything causes cancer, people still panic over the swine flu , anything can be rationalized as a byproduct of global warming. It makes me glad that I don't watch that much TV anymore, its a little box of paranoia.

People live, people die. Things come along to improve the length/quality of life that previous generations didn't have. Well if you consider a long life a good thing, it also means every year you live is another one you'll get taxed. I say live it up, make your mark and die young if you can.

[Ketaru]

If people were to realize Swine Flu is really no different from any other strand of the flu, newspapers wouldn't sell though! That would be the real disaster.

[Malacite]

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

I heard some of the details a couple weeks ago, kinda hoped the news would shake up the idiots in Washington and get them to rethink a lot of the crud they're trying to pass as health care "reform." The whole thing's crap and they need to start over.

Long Rant on Health Care

Well, I for one am greatly disappointed that Obama isn't pushing for Single Payer, but I also realize it's likely because he knows full-well the Senate will never,ever pass it because people are ignorant and have their heads so far up their asses (along with money from the industry) they'd sooner see the country crash & burn. I get tired watching the American news channels because all I hear is lies and half-truths;

Republicans & Moderate Dems (shame on you dems) will talk about Canada/Europe (pretty much the rest of the developed world really) as "Socialized Medicine" (more in a long line of bullshit thought that Socialism = Communism but that's a whole other debate) and the government will control everything and fuck it up. For the record, Medicare works just fine. Most people who have it say they are happy with it, my own grand parents included (though my Grandpa does wish they'd switch to single-payer). Medicare is going broke not because it's mismanaged, but because you are caring for the sickest, most expensive to cover demographic - old people!

Umm... news flash, try actually living here and/or doing proper research before running your God damned mouth scaring people stupid. We spend 9.5% GDP vs 15~16% compared to the U.S. on Health Care and we outrank you according to the W.H.O. by a good deal. You guys are just barely above Mexico. and that's largely because of that $14 trillion economy.

Our health care is almost identical to yours FYI, with the major difference being we all pay a little more in taxes (businesses especially) to the pot so essentially the Government foots the bill. But in return we get basic health care for free (I can go to a clinic and not have to pay anything unless I need a doctor's note for work which is $10 and most if not all employers will reimburse you for it) and you still need to actually get some kind of insurance policy for things like medicine. But we pay a hell of a lot less than you guys do - for example the blood pressure medicine my dad gets costs almost $1000, but he only pays just over $50~100 a month for it.

You guys could really learn a lot from us, Britain, and especially Japan - Last I checked over 52% of adult males in Japan smoke and for females it's 40%, yet they have the highest average life span in the world - in Okinawa it's 92! For us Canadians we outlive you Americans by a good 3 years.

Oh yeah and those myths about the long waits? Yeah, if it's critical/life-threatening, they will rush you in. You will not be left waiting to die like those bullshit CPR adds said. And yeah there are long waits at times but that's because the Country doesn't have enough money to hire all the doctors and equipment we need. It's not a fault of the system, it's just that we don't have the funds like you guys do.

And if you think things are bad now, it's only expected to get worse when you account for the Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. I remember reading somewhere that the national debt could shoot as high as $36 trillion in the next 10 years. This shit needs to get under control, now. It's killing you both at home and abroad;

Did any of you notice how when GM was shutting down several plants & models, it left GMC perfectly alone? That's because they only spend about $100 per car for their healthcare here as opposed to $1525 in the U.S.. That expense gets passed on to the consumer and applies to everyone in the private sector. Of course there are other factors (I wouldn't buy an American car if you paid me) but that's neither here nor there.

I wanna go play Modern Warfare 2, so gonna wrap it up with 1 last ranting point - The God damned Insurance Companies continue to block anyone from importing Canadian drugs in bulk because they're much cheaper. Piss the F off. Instead of helping both sides (we get money, you get cheap affordable drugs) these greedy bastards are out for their own self interests.

Profit needs to be taken out of the equation, period. Health Care should be a basic human right, especially in the richest nation in the world. That doesn't mean doctors and nurses shouldn't be paid, of course not don't be silly. But it shouldn't be an "industry" at all it should be publicly funded and there ought to be a greater emphasis on preventive medicine and self-responsibility.

One of the problems that can and does arise from a system like is people leeching/draining the system. Yeah I realize it's not easy for everyone to stay fit and eat right, but that doesn't excuse you from not taking better care of yourself and ultimately costing the system more in the long run. It's much, much more costly to fix a problem than to prevent it. In Britain, doctors can earn merit pay based on how many patients they advise and check on regularly to make sure they're keeping healthy.

---------- Post added at 12:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Balfree

Sometimes i just feel like someone is really just fucking us over.

It's called the Senate.