Each year, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children in the United States are afflicted with some form of cancer. Worldwide, millions die of cancers including those of the bone, bladder, blood (leukemias), brain, breast, colon, cervix, esophagus, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, mouth, nose, nerves, ovaries, pancreas, prostate, skin, stomach, testis, throat, thyroid, uterus, and vagina.
Over the years, a number of methods have been used to treat cancer including radiation and chemotherapy. The primary goal of these treatments is to kill all the cancer cells. However, many healthy cells are invariably destroyed in a race to kill the cancer cells before the treatment(s) kill the patient. Even today, the more measured and quantitative uses of radiation and chemotherapy can cause illness and even death in some patients. At the same time, in some types of cancer, the malignant cells remain difficult to treat.
Consequently, ongoing research and developmental efforts continue in the medicinal arts involving the treatment of various cancers.