# Nobody beats cancer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659 "2012-09-14T02:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659/42 "2014-04-14T05:14:21Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > For adults diagnosed with cancer, though, I have a hard time seeing anything other than doom and gloom. I am very happy for anyone not currently living with an active diagnosis, but for anyone living with cancer, I just see a cloud over their head and feel quite hopeless for them. I’d like to believe they’ll get through it, but I am not able to right now. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer just over 10 years ago. Now, after treatment, there is no sign of the cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659/43 "2014-04-14T09:53:10Z")
> [@Yuri](#): > > What an absurd title. Nobody “beats” cancer. God either removes it, or he doesn’t. Yes. How very absurd… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659/44 "2014-04-14T10:30:26Z")
> [@Yuri](#): > > What an absurd title. Nobody “beats” cancer. God either removes it, or he doesn’t. I agree; however not all surgeons have ego problems. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659/45 "2014-04-14T12:04:42Z")
Well, since this has been bumped, the acquaintance I mentioned in the earlier post is still hanging in there. I’d be surprised if he makes it another year, but he’s sure beaten the odds so far. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659/46 "2014-04-15T23:04:01Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > there seems to be a genetic linkage to some cancers. if your parent(s) had it then you or your siblings might. you might get different areas affected. > > if cancer develops and hasn’t spread then if you get it treated successfully, if you don’t that specific cancer at that location grow again in 5 years then people say you have beat cancer. > > you still might have your tendency to develop cancer occur elsewhere. > > it might be a true statement and a hopeful statement that you have beat cancer, though it is a limited statement. One theory is that cancer is not a disease, like pneumonia or tuberculosis, but more like to an autoimmune disorder: your body loses its ability to prevent cells’ otherwise natural tendency to grow out of control. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659/47 "2014-04-16T00:26:17Z")
At the age of 91 my grandmother had breast cancer and a mastectomy. It never came back, and she died a month before her 108th birthday. But the knowledge she’d had it was always in the back of my mind, because cancer is so sneaky. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-beats-cancer/634659.md?page=2)