Treatment Difficulties in Metastatic Cancer
Metastasis kills an estimate of 90% of cancer patients. Cells from the primary tumor travel from the body causing the cancer to spread. There has been no change in the mortality rate for metastatic cancer in over 50 years. It is almost impossible to treat cancer once it has disseminated throughout the body. Science has done plenty of research trying to determine the exact reason for metastasis as well as methods of prevention. Considering the length of time that has passed, it would appear we have made very little progress. However, in recent years, there have been some promising studies. DNA molecules have been identified that are responsible for the proliferation of cancer cells. Blood flow has also been shown to be a key factor in cancer spread. Different cancer types must be researched as each of them have different reactions toward treatment. Pancreatic cancer, in particular, is one of the most aggressive and resistant to traditional treatment. New therapeutic targets have also been identified that have the potential to eliminate the chances of metastasis entirely.