[neverdem]

GINA KOLATA usually writes better than this. I'll have to read the original article.

The Natural History of Invasive Breast Cancers Detected by Screening Mammography It's a FReebie.

Incidence refers to the rate that is annual numbers of new patients with a particular diagnosis.

Prevalence rate refers to the numbers in the whole population at any time with a particular diagnosis.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Once they diagnose it, you’re done for.

[napscoordinator]

I have often wondered if they had a cure for all cancers, would they let the public know or keep the money trail going. Cancer is big money and I am not confident that the powers that be would even be honest about having a cure. I would hope they would but I guess I have become skeptical in my old age.

[SouthDixie]

impossible even to ask what would happen if cancers were left alone.

I highly recommend reading the history of Nurse Rene M. Caisse. She obtained the formula of an herbal tonic, in the 1920's, from Ojibway Indians. The AMA did everything to thwart her efforts, as she was curing people with cancer, doctors had deemed incurable. The tonic is called Essiac, Ms Rene's name spelled backwards.

[syriacus]

A “Good Morning” ping.

[patj]

Some of the comments here really surprise me. I always think of Freepers as much smarter than most.

I have been dealing with cancer for over 10 years and that anyone would think that doctors know how to cure it and don't is ridiculous. Everyone reacts differently, so no one treatment works for everyone. Some are cured some are not, that doesn't mean that the doctor is to blame. In my years of chemo I've met many people receiving chemo of different combos delivered in different protocols.

Luckily, new treatments are being discovered and research continues. My treatment for cancer differs greatly from my mother's 25 years ago. Heck, my treatment now differs from when I started. Seven months ago we were planning my funeral, enter another new treatment, now we are going to celebrate my third annual "last Christmas".

[penelopesire]

Perhaps the NYT is just doing the ‘prep work’ for the coming Obama/Democrat socialized healthcare...which will eventually end in people not getting treatment.
Now they can say: ‘not all cancers need treatment’...so your ‘application’ for treatment has been denied.

God Help Our Country!

[Amelia]

See also Magnificent Medical Miracles, and Everyday Ones, Too...

[Born Conservative]

Who knows? There very well could have been people who had cancer, never knew it, and it went away without treatment.

I’ve been in health care for about 23 years now (19 as a RN), and have been around many patients with HIV and AIDS.

I had a kidney transplant this past May, and since my 16 year old donor had a history of substance abuse, I’m being tested for HIV and Hep C (I had been tested yearly prior to that, as a part of my annual transplant eval/re-eval, and was always negative). In September, someone in the transplant department ordered the “wrong test”; a HIV Western Blot, rather than the standard HIV 1 and 2 antibodies.

The results came back “inconclusive”; I had 1 antibody that was positive (on a Western Blot, 0 is negative, 1-2 is indeterminate, and 3-6 is positive for HIV). When I saw the Infectious Disease doc, he wasn’t at all worried (I was 20 weeks out from transplant, and by 24 weeks, the vast majority of those infected would be positive; I still remain negative on the “correct” test, and never had the flu-like illness that occurs with HIV infection).

My question to the ID doc was: could I have had an aborted infection, and have produced an antibody?

Of course, it’s possible, but there is no definitive answer, much the same as whether someone has ever had cancer (or any other disease), didn’t know they had it, and their body defeated it without treatment.

[The Great RJ]

Perhaps Lord Obama, like the anointed Kings of England and France, will cure cancer by his touch.