# Would big business not want a cure for cancer because the treatment brings in so much money? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 4, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348 "2013-08-04T20:10:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/1 "2013-08-04T20:10:30Z")
Human beings are not that selfish, are they? Just finished reading this interesting article: [http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/03/natural-cancer-treatment.aspx](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/03/natural-cancer-treatment.aspx) It is written by a medical doctor, and he says if we take away cancers groceries it will starve. It provides many links to research that supports this position. Please give it a read, and let me know what you folks think? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/2 "2013-08-04T20:14:27Z")
Mercola is a [quack.](http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html) As has been pointed out in numerous threads, all those researchers, executives,salesmen, etc are all subject to getting cancer as is their families. _Someone_ would blow the whistle if a cure was being withheld. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/3 "2013-08-04T20:32:57Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Human beings are not that selfish, are they? > > Thank you. Yes, they are. Your Welcome. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/4 "2013-08-04T20:38:13Z")
Every doctor- _worldwide-_ is helping to hide the biggest crime against humanity ever perpetrated. or Dude’s crazy. Occam’s Razor decides it for me. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/5 "2013-08-04T20:43:45Z")
[From his article](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/01/vitamin-d-benefits.aspx) on why sunbathing is good for you. > [@](#): > > Conversion to metabolic energy (i.e. we may “ingest” energy directly from the sun, like plants do) The man is a loony who is doing what he accuses Big Pharma of doing. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/6 "2013-08-04T21:20:21Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > **Would big business not want a cure for cancer because the treatment brings in so much money**? Yes. Pharmaceutical companies openly admit they aren’t interested in an AIDS vaccine because a lifetime of treatment brings in more money, life insurance companies fight against anti-aging research; companies are interested in short term profit above all. However, it’s unlikely that there _is_ a universal cancer cure for them to refuse to research in the first place, at least one that’s anywhere near achievable in our lifetime. > [@runner pat](#): > > As has been pointed out in numerous threads, all those researchers, executives,salesmen, etc are all subject to getting cancer as is their families. _Someone_ would blow the whistle if a cure was being withheld. Most likely they wouldn’t bother hiding it, that would be pointless. Instead, they’d avoid researching it; and if it was discovered anyway they’d patent it and refuse to distribute it. Probably with some excuse about how it “needs further development”. And the only ones who matter are the executives; they’d cheerfully condemn every single one of their subordinates to death if they gained even a miniscule profit from doing so. And they could certainly arrange for their treatment to be used on _themselves_. They could even make noises about their noble self sacrifice in taking part in testing such an “experimental product”. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/7 "2013-08-04T21:36:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Pharmaceutical companies openly admit they aren’t interested in an AIDS vaccine because a lifetime of treatment brings in more money, Citation Needed ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/8 "2013-08-04T21:43:51Z")
I’ve never understood how everyone supposedly gets all the doctors in countries with socialised medicine to cooperate with ‘not curing stuff’. They don’t get paid more for referring people to expensive procedures- they generally don’t get paid per case at all, so what’s in it for them? Sadly, being a medical doctor does not automatically disqualify one from being a tit. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/9 "2013-08-04T21:48:03Z")
Not just doctors, but entire nations. Why wouldn’t the Soviets announce their release of the secret the Decadent West refused to share? ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/10 "2013-08-04T21:49:39Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Citation Needed Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/11 "2013-08-04T21:52:39Z")
My son has been working on cancer research at the University of Chicago since he graduated five years ago. The first thing he would tell you is that there is no such thing as “cancer.” There are a variety of different diseases with different causes, symptoms, treatments and cure rates that are commonly grouped together as “cancer.” The second thing he would tell you is that the reason more people are getting cancer is because they aren’t dying from other things first. The third thing he would tell you is that Mercola is full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/12 "2013-08-04T21:56:43Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Yes. Pharmaceutical companies openly admit they aren’t interested in an AIDS vaccine because a lifetime of treatment brings in more money, life insurance companies fight against anti-aging research; companies are interested in short term profit above all. Then I guess they must be _really_ against smallpox vaccines, since they aren’t selling _any_ drugs to combat that. If they could start a smallpox epidemic, think of all the money they could make! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/13 "2013-08-04T22:02:23Z")
This theory is, and always has been, extremely stupid. It disregards the human drive for fame and competition, presupposes the existence of an absolutely huge conspiracy, misunderstands what cancer is and how treatment works, and I think it also overlooks the basic concept of prices: if there was a cure for cancer, why wouldn’t the company that makes it just charge the same price they would for lots of treatment? Other than that I guess it’s a sound theory. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/14 "2013-08-04T22:24:01Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > …and I think it also overlooks the basic concept of prices: if there was a cure for cancer, why wouldn’t the company that makes it just charge the same price they would for lots of treatment? This…even if it removed profit from some products, and some companies, it could be very profitable for the people producing the cure. Also, haven’t some cancers have been cured, at least to large extend in many people? How does that match with the theory? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/15 "2013-08-04T22:30:38Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > This…even if it removed profit from some products, and some companies, it could be very profitable for the people producing the cure. > > Also, haven’t some cancers have been cured, at least to large extend in many people? How does that match with the theory? Not totally cured but overall cure rates for different types have gone up in the past 30-40 years. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/16 "2013-08-04T22:31:44Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Mercola is a [quack.](http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html) > > As has been pointed out in numerous threads, all those researchers, executives,salesmen, etc are all subject to getting cancer as is their families. _Someone_ would blow the whistle if a cure was being withheld. Same thing with diabetes, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, etc. Diabetes and cancer are turning out to be far more complex diseases than anyone ever suspected. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/17 "2013-08-04T22:34:56Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Not totally cured but overall cure rates for different types have gone up in the past 30-40 years. Not only that, but the treatments are MUCH less brutal than they used to be, for an abundance of reasons. 🙂 The 5-HT3 inhibitors, drugs used for nausea and vomiting for this and other reasons, are a major reason why, and the newer drugs are more cell-type specific, thus reducing side effects. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/18 "2013-08-04T22:37:32Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Yes, they are. > > Your Welcome. harmonica’s welcome what? ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/19 "2013-08-04T22:40:03Z")
You guys ever go on debunking field trips to other discussion boards? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348/20 "2013-08-04T22:55:10Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > You guys ever go on debunking field trips to other discussion boards? Most of those boards tend to ban anyone who doesn’t parrot the crazy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-big-business-not-want-a-cure-for-cancer-because-the-treatment-brings-in-so-much-money/665348.md?page=2)