Despite the enormous advances that have been made in medical care there are still many
diseases that cannot be cured and many existing treatments that could be improved.
Cancers
There are about 200 types of cancer and one in three people in the UK will get cancer sometime during their lives. About 440 people die every day in the UK from Cancer.
Cancers are very complex diseases and we know that some cancers may be initiated by several factors concerned with our lifestyle. We know for instance that smoking, diet and overexposure to sunlight are factors that may trigger cancerous growths in some individuals. We also know that some individuals may have genetic predisposition to developing certain cancers i.e. they are more likely to develop some cancers than the general population.
If we know that certain factors may play a role in the development of cancer, such as smoking and lung cancer or too much sun and skin cancer, we can take steps to minimise the risk of developing these cancers. Unfortunately there are many cancers whose cause we do not know and so we cannot take steps to help prevent these cancers. This lack of knowledge makes it even more important that research into the causes, prevention and possible cure of these cancers continues.
Some cancers can be treated successfully if they are diagnosed early enough. To investigate the causes of cancer and develop effective treatments for such complicated diseases we will need to use animals and animal models for some considerable time to come.
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