David Rew Consultant General Surgeon

The cost of cancer deaths deferred

David Rew MA MChir FRCS
Consultant General Surgeon and Surgical Oncologist
University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Editor of the EJSO

King Canute knew better. He would be bemused at our current addiction to politically inspired targets for disease reduction. The language of cancer is emotive. The term cancer encompasses a wide range of different disease processes and behaviour which are conveniently classified by their tissue or organ of origin. Cancer is often integral to the genetic and aging processes of the body.

The aggressiveness of individual cancers is very variable for reasons which medical science can neither fully understand nor control. Some cases are avoidable and curable. Others seem predestined to defy the best efforts at treatment by surgery, anticancer drugs, radiotherapy and alternative medicines.