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Part XV of a “Cancer/Medical Moonshot” Series
There are no winners even in World Wars. But every day, there are miracle-like victories in the people’s war against cancer and other major diseases in many countries around the world.
Yes, in reality, “there are no winners in war”. It is a saying as old as mankind. It is frequently attributed literary-wise to Pyrrhus of Epirus, who wrote that winning a battle could still lead to ultimate loss. Similar variations, such as “in war, all are losers,” have been said by historical figures like Neville Chamberlain.
The term “Pyrrhic victory” sums it up. As always, the cost of victory makes it indistinguishable from defeat. But to the keen observers like this journalist, there are many actual winners in individual wars and battles against cancer and other deadly diseases that are often reduced now to preventable deaths. How? By early detection and immediate medical intervention. But then the world’s marginalized populations, especially those with the poorest of the poor, cannot afford to seek medical help. Even preliminary check-ups at clinics are unaffordable for the destitute, especially when modern tools like CT scans or MRIs are used. What if the individuals getting sick are homeless?
Part I of this columnist’s current series in the Philippine Daily Mirror was titled “Cancer Miracles at Duke University Can Jumpstart a ‘Medical Moonshot'” and was published on January 25, 2026.
In it, this columnist reported that “cancer is the world’s second-leading cause of death, with more than 10-million fatalities per year. This journalist has been writing suggestions and ideas on how to help increase the number of worldwide cancer survivors. There are proven ways to help the world drastically cut down cancer deaths and those from other leading diseases.”
World War I resulted in an estimated 15-to-22 million deaths (both military and civilian), with some estimates placing total fatalities closer to 16.5 million or higher. It included approximately 9 to 11 million military personnel killed and 6 to 13 million civilian deaths due to war-related causes, disease, and genocide.
“It will not take rocket science to conclude that in four years — even in this 21st century with its advances in medical science — cancer alone killed more than 40 million persons in the past four years (2022-2025).
World War I lasted for over four years, beginning on July 28, 1914, and ending with the armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918. The conflict spanned 4 years, 3 months, and 14 days, involving major global powers in intense, large-scale combat across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific. It will not take rocket science to conclude that in four years — even in this 21st century with its advances in medical science — cancer alone killed more than 40 million persons in the past four years (2022-2025). Yes, irrespective of the patients’ economic status, skin color, chosen faith or religion, sexual orientation, educational attainment, and other subjective or objective factors.
Then, worse, the Great Depression was largely a consequence of World War I, which disrupted global finances, created unsustainable debt, and destabilized international trade. And created more masses of poor people, with many of them succumbing to diseases that also brought about epidemics and pandemics.
Geopolitical and governmental policy-makers in almost all countries continue to use massive human and financial resources in waging bloody wars. The total cost of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including post-9/11 operations, was estimated to exceed $8 trillion when accounting for direct military spending, veterans’ care, and interest on debt. These data came from Brown University’s Costs of War project. The wars, spanning over two decades, involved roughly $5.8 trillion in direct, “on-the-books” expenditures, with long-term obligations for veterans’ care and interest payments expected to push the total cost significantly higher.
What would have happened had Americans pressured their leaders — after the 9/11/2001 tragic terrorist attacks — to emulate then President William McKinley and his chosen first civil governor general, William Howard Taft? Did the two Williams tell (pun intended) the world that “winning the hearts and minds of Filipinos” was the way to end the Filipino-American War? This series has previously told readers that President McKinley decided to build the first U.S. overseas medical center in Manila, the capital city. And it started a policy of peace and diplomacy that succeeded.
