Scientific American September 1996 [antikvár]

From the Editors Reasons for Hope 1 rr I his may be the first special issue of Scientific American that, for I everyone on the staff, also qualifies as a personal issue. Several of us have had brushes with cancer, or at least its specter. We have seen family members, friends and co-workers sick with it. Some of them have recovered, some have not. Early this morning I learned that an acquaintance who has struggled with cancer on and off for five years is back in the hospital. The growth began in her breast; tumors later appeared in her liver and ovary; this week she discovered that cells had traveled into her brain as well. Coincidentally, later, another friend gave me the good news that her mother's cancer was caught in time. Doctors removed a malignant polyp from her colon before tumor cells could invade the surrounding tissues, which means that she has every reason to consider herself cancer-free. Experiences like these have never been far from our minds while planning this issue. The title, "What You Need to Know about EVERYONE IS A SOLDIER ^ in the ongoing war against cancer. f do you need to know? First, that many cancers are highly preventable. Second, that the ability of medicine to detect and treat cancer, though still far from ideal, has progressed enough for patients to face their illness with greater optimism. Further dramatic improvements may lie not far ahead. Also, as frightening as cancer can be, people should know that its pain can be subdued and the misery it brings can be comforted. Some facts presented in the articles that follow may be surprising. Readers may be shocked to discover how trivial the cancer risks from pollutants and radiation are, compared with dietary factors. That smoking causes cancer is common knowledge, but I hope that seeing how heavily its damage weighs down the statistics will drive the point home more forcefully. The new drugs and other treatments in development inspire wonderful excitement. Most of all, I hope that readers will come away from this issue with a greater sense that, armed with knowledge and courage, they can fight back against this disease. My thanks go to all the esteemed physicians and researchers who contributed to this project, but most especially to Lloyd Old, Robert Weinberg and Samuel Hellman, whose generosity with time, ideas and patience was so helpful. I also cannot praise or thank enough our tireless associate editor Ricki Rusting, whose dedication shaped this issue from the start. JOHN RENNIE, Editor in Chief [email protected]