? I don't understand why you think this is sad. This is great. We're getting closer to finding a cure for cancer. Pretty damn exciting if you ask me....
What's sad is assuming that we can know something before we look for it.
If it makes you feel any better, we've been using electricity for ~100 years and we don't know exactly what it is, either.
Actually, I think you are the one that is sad.
According to your line of logic we should have spent $XX amount - then given up.
Oh, well - this is too hard.
Perhaps forward thinking is not a concept you are familiar with.
What a dumb thing to say.
LVM
They know what it is. It's finding out why cells divide and don't die is the search.
Who knows yet if this is The Answer. But there was a time when peptic ulcers were considered incurable. A whole industry grew up around reducing the harm from ulcers. It turned out to be a baterium treatable with antibiotics.
Cancer is probably the hardest medical problem this side of stopping ageing, but I think it will fall to Man's pursuit of a cure. So will heart disease.
You'd rather we did no research? Yeah, that'd be effective.
If you want to read about wasted money on cancer research, do a google search on He La cells or Henrietta Lacks. It's an old story but basically a great deal of the research dollar spent 25-30 years ago was wasted.
Understand that cancer is not all alike. Even the same cancer type, given the same name reacts differently in each person. What works well for one type of cancer in one person may not work the same for the same cancer type in another individual. That's why research is so broad, expensive and time-consuming.
Kind of like sleep. What the heck is it anyway?
And dreams. What the heck are those for?
Right, they always try to keep the carrot out there to get more tax dollars. Can't blame you for your criticism.