The God is in Biology

The most dreaded and rapidly increasing disease in today’s technology driven World is Cancer- the result of unscrupulous and ruthless use of chemicals, particularly manmade chemicals, in the modern civilized world.

What exactly is cancer? Biologically speaking it is a disease of uncontrolled division of cells. In our body cells divide continuously to replace worn out or damaged cells. But sometimes control mechanism may go haywire courtesy stimuli from various factors. This otherwise controlled and organized process becomes uncontrolled and unorganized resulting in a plethora of cells good for nothing. It is this mass of rapidly growing cells that forms tumor or cancer.


Cancer can affect any part of the body-brain, intestines, lungs, pancreas, liver, ovaries, skin and what not. Cancers are of two types-Benign and malignant or metastatic. Benign cancer does not spread.It is the malignant or metastatic cancer which is more dangerous as it starts spreading to other parts of the body.
Advances in technology have changed the way cancer is perceived, understood and treated. Scientific understanding about yhe disease says that it is a disease encrypted in our genes. These potential cancer causing genes are called Oncogenes. Oncogenes are present in our genome but become active only under specific conditions or stimuli called co-factors or cancer triggers.

The fight against cancer depends upon early detection of the disease.Rapid advances in technology have made early detection of the cancer, a reality. New imaging techniques like X rays, CT scans, MRI scan, PET scan and ultrasound scan are regular diagnostic tools. Advances in surgical oncology along with new imaging devices have made hither to inaccessible areas like base of the skull under the category of curable cancers. Similarly advances in Radiation Oncology like development of Cyberknife, targeted chemotherapy and organ preservation in minimum invasive surgery to prevent damage to the healthy cells, reducing trama of the patient.








Oncology today has entered in to an era of personalized cancer treatment.Biotechnology and Bioinformatics are helping us to design tailor made drugs for the treatment of cancer based on the unique genetic makeup of the patient or tumor.Clinical trialr are underway to determine the efficacy of such drugs. Bevacizumab is one such molecule approved by USFAD to treat deadly Glioblastoma. However, these molecules are prohibitively costly.


With exciting new therapeutics in the pipe line, can cancer finally be conquered??????