EDITORIAL: Hoping for a cure

There is encouraging news that local research into sorrel as an anti-cancer drug is deepening. This comes on the heels of other recent breakthrough research involving the use of the lowly guinea hen weed and old man's beard to treat cancer.

It seems with so much research going on that scientists now have a better understanding of this disease, which has taken such a toll on humanity. Cancer's impact on individuals and families can be devastating.

Investment in medical research is vital in discovering the causes and potential therapies for treating all kinds of disease, especially cancer, which has been a scourge on humanity for too long. And even though more medical research is under way across the globe than ever before, there are still unanswered questions about human physio-logy. Medical research is the only way to answer these questions.

And even with all the activity going on in the scientific world, change is agonisingly slow, so there is still urgent need to accelerate progress in the diagnosis, treatment and eventual cure of cancer. This can only happen if our researchers, clinicians and collaborators are given the full support and the critical resources they need.

Successful medical discoveries will not only lead to saving lives but could place our small island and our scientists at the cutting edge of biomedical and clinical research.

But it is a fact that medical research is not cheap, and research dollars are hard to come by. This is why Grace Foods must be congratulated for supporting Northern Caribbean University in this research into trying to determine how sorrel may prevent, cure or even slow the spread of the dreaded disease.

unethical practices

Unfortunately, over the course of history, there have been cases where unethical practices were found among medical researchers. Because of this, many people view with suspicion the relationship between big firms and research departments of universities, particularly pharmaceutical companies, suggesting that there may be a conflict of interest or undue influence by the funders.

We urge other corporate giants to get involved in medical research in an ethical way, because we need these relationships if we are serious about advancing discoveries that will save lives and relieve suffering.

The question we ask is this: Do our politicians appreciate the link between medical research and the health of the nation? Traditional fund-raisers, charities and foundations do contribute to research in some cancers. However, more effort needs to be made to enhance greater research, treatment, and potential cure of this dreadful disease.

Even as we struggle with budgetary constraints and the challenges of supporting free health care, Jamaica must ask itself whether a national cancer initiative that stresses prevention and early diagnosis could go a far way in improving the nation's health. Such an initiative could be charged with the coordination and support of cancer research.

We must congratulate NGOs for their tremendous public advocacy over many years. The Jamaica Cancer Society is highly visible, and the traditional breast cancer fund-raiser places this disease front and centre of our national consciousness.

We remain hopeful that we are close to a cure, because this will contribute to the well-being of society in general.

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