- Columbia Public Schools
- More than Me
Future Cancer Researcher
Cancer: a currently incurable disease that appears in all parts of the body. Five year survival rates can average from 75% to 13%, according to the American Cancer Society. It is estimated that about 40% of people globally will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime” (Global Cancer Facts & Figures). Combine this with the survival rates, and you have a lot of deaths. Obviously if cancer was cured, death rates would decrease in the world. “About 10 million people die from cancer a year, and by 2030 the death rate might be around 13 million a year” (Cancer Research Funding ). The average life expectancy could even be increased dramatically “because we live longer now than in the 60’s, and cancer risk increases with age” (Lifetime Risk of Cancer). Researchers could turn away from trying to cure cancer and do something else productive, like finding a cure for another disease. Curing cancer would take away one more problem from the world.
I care about every person on Earth, and I believe lives are priceless. I would devote lots of time to help cure a disease like cancer. If I were to study cancer, I would hope to cure it, or at the very least extend the lives of those who have it. I have also had relatives who have died from cancer, as well as relatives of friends.
If I were to tackle this problem, I would first have to “earn bachelor’s degrees and then go on to earn doctorate degrees (P.H.D.s) in fields related to medical science, chemistry, or biology” (Cancer Researcher: Job Description and Education Requirements). I would volunteer at a hospital and see how things are done and talk with cancer patients. Before I attempt to attack this problem, I would want to get used to the environment, so when I start working I am working in a familiar place.
I would then proceed to become a cancer researcher at a university. I would research family trees of cancer patients and the cancer history of that family. Cancer is just a cell with messed up DNA that can be caused from chemicals from smoking, and/or sunburns, etc. On top of that, cancerous cells can reproduce if the body does not handle them properly. However, mysteriously, sometimes someone who never smoked would get cancer, and someone who smoked wouldn’t get cancer. Using this knowledge, I would try to find a way to modify the damaged DNA of the cancer cell, or I would find a way to stop the cancer from reproducing through some sort of programmed microorganism.
If others want to get involved, they could go into cancer research and help find a cure or help get closer to finding a cure. The more brains that are involved in research, the better. If more people were involved with cancer research, it would be more likely that we would find a cure quicker. Or people could just donate money to cancer research, as every cent helps in the battle against cancer. Researchers need more money to study cancer.
Cancer is a big problem in this world, and it will take a lot of resources to come up with a cure. Cancer is a well known disease, and it affects many people. Many people around the world die because of cancer. Most people have friends or relatives that have had cancer, or even died from it. I think that I could help in the effort to eliminate cancer by becoming a cancer researcher. It might be hard and take a long time, but it could be a worthwhile endeavor.
Works Cited
"Cancer Researcher: Job Description and Education Requirements." Study.com. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://study.com/articles/Cancer_Researcher_Job_Description_and_Education_Requirements.html>.
"Cancer Research Funding." National Cancer Institute. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/research-funding>.
"Global Cancer Facts & Figures." Global Cancer Facts & Figures. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsstatistics/global>.
"Lifetime Risk of Cancer." : Cancer Research UK. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/incidence/risk/statistics-on-the-risk-of-developing-cancer>.