Is There a Cure for Cancer?

There is no universal "cure for cancer".

At least not one that cures all cancer. If you've read What is Cancer? then you know that cancer is not a single disease but rather a general name for malignant tumors, which can affect many different tissues and organs in the body. Each type of cancer is different and their treatments and prognosis vary.

Are any cancers curable?
Yes. While there isn't any one cure for cancer that applies to all types of cancer, with current treatments there are a number of cancers that can be cured in some situations these days.

How are some cancers cured?
Some cancers are particularly sensitive to chemotherapy and/or radiation and can be effectively eradicated from the body with these treatments if started early enough in the course of disease. There are other specific types of cancer for which specific, effective treatments have been developed.

Many other cancers can occasionally be cured if caught early enough and appropriate treatment is started early. If caught early, before the tumor has become too invasive in the body, the cancer cells may be well confined to one area of the body. If this is the case, and the tumor can be safely removed completely, with or without accompanying chemotherapy and/or radiation, then the cancer may be cured. For example, both most breast cancers and colon cancers are initially well contained within the tissue from which they originated. If caught in this early stage, before it has spread to lymph nodes or distant organs, they can often be completely removed surgically and cured. While some will recur at a later date, some will be permanently treated.

Are there some cancers that can never be cured?
Unfortunately, yes. Despite the great advances in cancer treatments which have been developed there are still some very aggressive forms of cancer which are rarely, if ever, cured. While aggressive treatment may delay the progression of some of these diseases and prolong the victim's life somewhat, a cure cannot be achieved. There are a number of examples but one classic one is Glioblastoma Multiforme. These high-grade, very aggressive tumors of the brain do not respond well to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. They grow very quickly and survival beyond a few years of diagnosis is rare. However, many promising new technologies, such as cancer vaccines and immunotherapy and gene therapies, may hold promise for the future.

It is impossible to make a complete list of cancers that can be cured because each one varies from patient to patient and it depends on many factors, such as how early the cancer is diagnosed and how advanced it is at the time of diagnosis.