The Cancer ‘Breakthrough’ That Never Came

Written by Ian Brighthope on July 29, 2025. Posted in Current News

The war on cancer, declared in the United States with the National Cancer Act of 1971, was meant to herald a golden age of medical triumph

Billions of dollars, countless clinical trials, and a parade of “breakthrough” therapies later, the reality is sobering: for many of the deadliest cancers, survival rates have barely budged in decades.

The hype of progress has outpaced the reality of outcomes. Consider the numbers. Glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most aggressive brain cancers, still carries a median survival of 12–18 months, a figure largely unchanged since the 1980s [1].

Stage IV pancreatic cancer offers a grim 5-year survival rate below 12% [2]. For stage IV lung cancer, fewer than 10 percent of patients survive past five years [3]. Even metastatic colorectal cancer, where incremental gains have been made, sees a 5-year survival rate hovering around 14 percent [4].

These statistics are not just numbers—they represent lives cut short, families shattered, and a medical system that has overpromised and underdelivered. The public is fed a steady diet of optimism: a new drug, a novel gene therapy, a “game-changing” immunotherapy.

Yet, for patients with aggressive, late-stage, or non-screenable cancers, these breakthroughs often translate to mere months of additional survival—frequently at the cost of debilitating side effects, astronomical medical bills, and diminished quality of life.

The question looms large: why, after decades of effort and investment, are we still so far from a cure?

A System Designed to Treat, Not Cure

The uncomfortable truth is that the cancer industry is not structured to eradicate the disease. It is built to perpetuate treatment. Chronic illness is a profitable enterprise, and the pharmaceutical industry has mastered the art of monetising marginal gains.

In 2022 alone, global spending on cancer drugs exceeded $180 billion, with projections estimating a rise to $300 billion by 2028 [5]. Blockbuster drugs are celebrated not for saving lives but for generating shareholder value and perhaps a few extra months of life.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays a complicit role, approving dozens of cancer drugs based on surrogate endpoints—metrics like tumour shrinkage or progression-free survival that often fail to correlate with meaningful improvements in overall survival or quality of life [6].

These approvals allow pharmaceutical companies to fast-track drugs to market, reaping billions in profits while patients bear the costs—both financial and physical. A 2019 study found that only 19 percent of cancer drugs approved between 2008 and 2012 demonstrated a significant survival benefit in follow-up studies [6].

The system rewards incrementalism over transformation. Meanwhile, promising alternative approaches—safe, affordable, and holistic—are sidelined. Repurposed drugs like metformin, a diabetes medication with potential anti-cancer properties [7], or fenbendazole, an antiparasitic drug with a great many anecdotal reports of efficacy [8], are dismissed or underfunded.

Intravenous high-dose vitamin C, an immune stimulant, anti-cancer and detoxification agent, which has shown promise in enhancing chemotherapy outcomes and reducing side effects [9], is rarely studied in mainstream trials. Immuno-nutritional therapies, hyperbaric oxygen, hyperthermia and plant-based compounds like curcumin or the cannabinoids are similarly ignored or ridiculed, despite growing evidence of their potential [10].

Why? Because these interventions are often inexpensive, unpatentable, and thus unprofitable.

The Molecular Myopia

Modern oncology is fixated on the genetic model of cancer, chasing mutations and developing targeted therapies to attack specific molecular pathways. This approach has produced some successes, particularly in cancers like chronic myeloid leukemia, where drugs like imatinib have transformed outcomes [11].

But for most cancers, this molecular tunnel vision has limitations. Cancer is not merely a genetic disease; it is a systems disease, arising from a complex interplay of factors: a dysregulated immune system, metabolic dysfunction, an imbalanced microbiome, disrupted circadian rhythms, environmental toxins, and chronic inflammation.

The “tumor-centric” model—focused on destroying cancer cells—neglects the broader biological terrain in which cancer thrives. Nobel laureate Otto Warburg demonstrated in the 1920s that cancer cells rely on altered metabolism, fermenting glucose even in the presence of oxygen [12].

Yet, metabolic therapies, such as ketogenic diets that starve cancer cells of glucose, remain on the fringes of oncology [13]. Similarly, the role of the microbiome in modulating cancer risk and treatment response is only beginning to be explored [14].

Until we shift our focus from the tumour to the terrain, we will continue to fight a losing battle.

A Roadmap for Revolution

To break this cycle, we need a radical reimagining of cancer care—one that prioritises prevention, early detection, and integrative therapies over endless cycles of toxic treatments. Here is a blueprint for a new oncology:

1. Root-Cause Prevention
   Cancer is not an inevitable fate. Lifestyle factors—nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and toxin avoidance—play a critical role in reducing risk. Diets rich in anti-inflammatory foods, such as leafy greens, berries, and omega-3 fatty acids, can modulate cancer pathways [15]. Detoxification strategies, including reducing exposure to environmental carcinogens like pesticides and heavy metals, are equally vital [16]. Supporting the microbiome through probiotics and fermented foods may also bolster immune defenses [14].
2. Advanced Screening and Early Detection
   Current screening methods, like mammograms, are often blunt tools with high rates of false positives and overdiagnosis [17]. Emerging technologies—such as thermography, circulating tumour cells (CTCs), circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) tests, and immune biomarkers—offer more precise, non-invasive options for early detection [18]. These tools could catch cancers before they become untreatable, yet they remain underutilised due to regulatory and financial barriers.
3. Repurposed and Integrative Therapies
   A wealth of evidence supports the use of off-label drugs and integrative approaches. Mebendazole, an antiparasitic, has shown anti-cancer effects in preclinical studies [19]. Low-dose naltrexone may enhance immune function [20]. High-dose intravenous vitamin C (HDIVC) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve treatment outcomes and quality of life [9], [21]. Mistletoe, curcumin, cannabinoids, and melatonin also show promise in supporting conventional treatments or reducing side effects [10]. These therapies are often low-cost and low-risk, yet they remain absent from standard care.
4. Patient-Led, Data-Informed Care
   Patients deserve transparency and agency. Open access to clinical trial data, biomarkers, and real-world evidence can empower individuals to make informed decisions. True informed consent—free from coercion or incomplete information—is a cornerstone of ethical medicine. Platforms like the Cancer Commons [22] demonstrate the power of patient-driven, data-informed approaches.
5. A Holistic Understanding of Terrain
   Cancer thrives in a compromised biological environment. By addressing the root causes—chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, immune suppression, and environmental stressors—we can create conditions less hospitable to cancer. This requires a shift from a reactive, tumour-killing mindset to a proactive, system-supporting one.

A Call to Action

The cancer epidemic is not an accident. It is the product of misaligned incentives, regulatory capture, and a scientific paradigm that prioritises profits over patients. The pharmaceutical industry has no financial incentive to deliver a cure when treatments generate billions annually.

Regulatory agencies, beholden to industry influence, perpetuate a cycle of marginal drugs and suppressed alternatives. And the public, desperate for hope, is left to navigate a system that often exploits their vulnerability.

It’s time for a revolution. We need:

• A Cancer Royal Commission to investigate systemic failures in cancer research and treatment, holding industry and regulators accountable.
• A National Repurposed Drug and Natural products Fund to fast-track research into affordable, off-patent therapies with anti-cancer potential.
• A Reformed Regulatory System that prioritises patient outcomes over corporate profits, requiring robust evidence of survival and quality-of-life benefits for drug approvals.
• Comprehensive Education for health professionals in nutritional, environmental, and all integrative health-medicine modalities, breaking the monopoly of pharmaceutical-driven training.

The cure for cancer will not come from a single drug or a miracle gene therapy. It will come from a ground-up movement—driven by patients, advocates, and courageous researchers—who demand a system that values life over profit.

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