@article{esj 224, author = {Luke David Wheeler}, title = {Why is cancer so hard to cure?}, volume = {14}, year = {2023}, url = {http://publications.essex.ac.uk/esj/article/id/224/}, issue = {1}, doi = {10.5526/esj164}, abstract = {Humanity has made significant breakthroughs in the last century; from the polio vaccine, to the sequencing of the human genome, to even the creation of the internet. However, a cure for cancer, a disease that 1 in 2 people will at some point in their lifetime develop, still hasn’t been synthesised. So why is cancer so difficult to cure? To answer that, it must first be established that cancer is not just one disease, but over 200 different diseases, each with their own quirks and variabilities that make a cancer panacea an incredibly difficult conceptual medicine to develop. This essay seeks to explore multiple key behaviours of cancer that give it these variabilities. These variabilities of cancerous cells stem from their heterogeneity – both individual and in the wider scope – and cell type. Cancers also evade the immune system’s detection and invade tissue across the body through metastasis; all of which makes developing a cure even more difficult.}, month = {5}, keywords = {Cancer,Heterogeneity,Immune system,Immunosuppression,Metastasis}, issn = {2633-7045}, publisher={University of Essex Library Services}, journal = {Essex Student Journal} }