Hi everyone,
Having recently attended a Cancer research event at Southampton, it has started me thinking about what we normally regard as cancer research. I have always looked upon research as being done by people in white lab coats in state of the art laboratories but I have realized recently that is only a small part of the picture. To find out if a new drug or machine is living up to expectation, trials have to be conducted and figures compiled and studied. Figures also have to be compiled so that the medical profession know how many cases there are of each cancer type and these statistics need constant updating to see if there are underlying trends or regional differences. Also new machines being developed for treating cancer i.e. radiotherapy machines can also come under the broad umbrella of cancer research. Then there are the people whose job it is to try and predict cancer trends for future years. The more I think about it, the bigger the list becomes. It reminds me of an iceberg where only a small part can be seen above water.
Very little of this vital research would be carried out if it were not for the army of volanteers who give up so much of their free time to tireslessly raise money to provide funds for all the differnt researchers and charities.
I would just like to say a huge THANK YOU to the army of people I have mentioned and any I have left out. It is my hope that one day a cure will be found for all cancers and that day cant come soon enough, Brian
