| Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash
Part XXII of “Cancer/Medical Moonshot” Series
A super majority of mankind supports the war on cancer, but not the illegal and immoral invasion of Iran. It seems that common people consider the invaders of Iran, especially those who ordered the bombing of civilians, as suffering also from cancers of the heart and tumors in a conscienceless brain. Yes, many of the national leaders of Israel and the United States suffer also from said twin incurable cancers when they ordered the killing of school children, women, widows, old persons, and other civilians in Iran and other neighboring countries.
Unlike the so-called ANGELS of Duke Cancer Center, other Cancer Institutes of North America, and congregations like the Mother Teresa Church of Cary, NC, the also cancer-stricken invaders of Iran are hopeless. The ANGELS are “America’s Newest Givers of Empathy, Love and Support”, as this column has coined. On the other hand, the supposed national leaders who suffer from cancers of the heart and brain do not have in their body and soul the empathy, love, and support needed by people living with real cancer, survivors, and support groups.
As of late March 2026, U.S. polls find that 53% to 60% of Americans oppose U.S. military action against Iran. Polls indicate that a majority disapproves of the handling of the conflict and condemns escalating involvement. More than 6 in 10 voters oppose it, especially the deployment of ground troops.
On the other hand, here are the latest good news and developments from the U.S. National Cancer Institute about Cancer and Genetics: In cancer care and cure procedures, Genetics enables personalized approaches, including identifying hereditary risks, tailoring treatments to tumor-specific mutations (called “precision medicine”). It led to the development of advanced gene therapies like CRISPR and CAR-T. These methods improve early detection, guide targeted drug selection, and enhance immune responses, thereby boosting survival rates.
The key uses of genetics in oncology include the following: Genetic Testing (Hereditary Risk):
- Identifying germline mutations to understand inherited cancer risks and guide proactive screenings or preventive surgeries.
- Biomarker/Tumor Profiling (Precision Medicine): Analyzing tumor DNA to identify acquired mutations driving tumor growth, helping doctors select targeted therapies, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors.
- Liquid Biopsies (Cell-free DNA): A non-invasive blood test used to monitor for cancer recurrence, track treatment efficacy, and sequence tumor DNA without a traditional tissue biopsy.
- Gene and Cell Therapy (Treatment): CAR T-Cell Therapy: Modifying a patient’s immune cells (T-cells) to recognize better and kill cancer cells.
- CRISPR Technology: Emerging techniques used to edit immune cells to attack cancer precisely.
- Gene Delivery: Using modified viruses (e.g., Adenoviral vectors) to introduce functional genes, e.g., to halt tumor cell growth.
- Pharmacogenomics: Assessing a patient’s genetic variation to predict drug metabolism, enabling doctors to select the most effective drugs with lower risks of adverse side effects.
These genetic approaches enable “preventative actions and early detection that reduce the need for expensive cancer treatments, hospitalizations, and medications,” according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the Sequence MD, the Duke University Cancer Institute, and other leading university-based Cancer Centers.
This op-ed piece now respectfully addresses the policymakers and decision-makers of the United States of America and other countries. The suggestion is for American and Israeli governments, along with the Federation of Russia, the People’s Republic of China, other developed countries, and their military-industrial complexes to use the vast amounts of taxpayers’ money and foreign borrowings to fight major diseases and pandemics.
Instead of fighting wars in countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Taiwan, Ukraine, and other forsaken places, can world leaders stop committing crimes against humanity? Can they use the vast resources — U.S. $8 trillion in 2002-2022 from the U.S.A. alone — for the global fight against major diseases and pandemics?
Cancer alone kills a minimum of ten million people spread across all countries of Planet Earth. Cancer and other diseases do not respect titles, for they kill people — without early detection and necessary medical intervention. Yes, cancer and other diseases kill anybody, irrespective of rank in society — from monarchs, prime ministers, presidents, moguls, cronies, to the middle class and the lowly, such as peasants and especially paupers and the poorest of the poor.
