Science and Society

Complementing government and industry funding, philanthropies have made distinct contributions to altering the trajectory of cancer research. This Science and Society article aims to investigate the changing role of philanthropy in fostering cancer research, with emphasis on the work of non-profit institutions.

This Science and Society article outlines the burden of preventable cancers in selected less-developed-region countries (LDCs) and discusses evidence on cost-effective and widely implementable prevention and screening strategies. As LDCs typically have poor resources to treat cancers, the authors argue that investment in sustainable cancer prevention and screening strategies would be the best option to reduce cancer-related mortality in most LDCs.

The knowledge and tools to effectively treat many cancer patients exist in developed countries but are unavailable to many who live in the developing world. This Science and Society article uses the example of Rwanda's expanding national cancer programme to discuss how cancer care can be brought to low-income countries that are considerably resource-constrained.

Although survival rates for most paediatric cancers have improved at a remarkable pace over the past four decades, the vast majority of these cancer survivors will have at least one chronic health condition by 40 years of age. How can we best understand and treat the long-term morbidity and mortality that is associated with currently successful treatments?

This Science and Society article addresses the possibilities of expanding scientific networking to increase awareness of the risk of lung cancer that is promoted by air pollution.

This article proposes a new method for biobanking in which samples and associated data could be deposited anonymously and labelled using a PIN code produced on the basis of personal biological characteristics. This method might help to diminish several long standing ethical, legal and societal problems in biobanking.

This Science and Society article discusses the major issues regarding cancer-related direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) and offers data from the United States as an illustration of communication inequalities in this arena — highlighting the need for closer and continuing attention to the issue of DTCA in the age of internet-based information and genomic revolution.

This article examines the ancient history of cancer. The striking absence of malignancies in ancient physical remains might indicate the rarity of cancer in antiquity, which poses questions about the role of carcinogenic environmental factors in modern societies.

The integration of existing national and institutional biobanks is required to form larger resources that can be used to study the complexity and heterogeneity of cancer. This article discusses the main practical and ethical issues associated with the integration of biobanks for cancer research.

That a substantial proportion of cell lines is mislabelled or replaced by cells derived from a different individual, tissue or species has been a long known, but largely ignored problem. The history of cell line misidentification and recent efforts to develop a standard for the authentication of human cell lines using short tandem repeat profiling is discussed in this article.

A major challenge exists in assessing the risk of developing cancer from exposures to low-dose radiation — which are encountered during diagnostic scans, for example. What factors influence low-dose cancer risk and what might this mean for current protection measures?

Cancer in wildlife seems to be more prevalent than previously thought and could have considerable effects on the populations of some species. This Perspective discusses the conservation issues raised by cancer in wildlife.

The controversy surrounding private, for–profit umbilical cord blood banks continues unabated. What is the scientific rationale for banking your child's cord blood for its potential future use against malignancy? Michael sullivan investigates.

The next generation of space missions will involve much longer exposures of astronauts to space radiation. Predicting what this means for cancer risk is a crucial but difficult task.

The developing world is set to be ravaged by an impending cancer epidemic. How can we help to ensure that cancer patients get the treatment they need in Africa?

Naturally occurring cancers in pet dogs are similar to those in humans, and there is a growing interest in using studies in dogs to complement research in humans and mice. How can the study of pet dogs contribute to the development of new cancer therapeutics?

In Cappadocia, Turkey, a mesothelioma epidemic causes 50% of all deaths in three small villages. This manuscript reports, from a personal viewpoint, the scientific advances that have come from studying the families who have an inherited predisposition to develop this disease and the social problems that they face.

Many cancers have been linked to nutrition and obesity. Although these problems have traditionally affected affluent people and countries, they are rapidly becoming problems of poverty. Understanding the factors behind these shifts may help us to reduce obesity and cancer risk.

The new French National Cancer Institute (INCa) has brought cancer care, research and policy in France together for the first time. Three years after its conception, and one year after its inauguration, this article charts its aims and structure.

There are now many genetic tests that provide information about cancer risk. How should clinicians and policy makers ensure that the clinical uses of these tests maximize benefit and minimize harm?