To prevent and cure cancer has been one of science's greatest challenges. Great progress has been achieved over the years. Unfortunately, some of the treatments that have succeeded in fighting cancer have caused pain and suffering also. What attacks the cancer cells usually causes some damage to good and healthy tissues. Surgery can sometimes cause handicaps and even disfigurement, and has at times negatively impacted personal relationships.
Chemotherapy can cause various kinds of distress such as hair loss, nausea, and other discomforts.
Sufficient radiation can destroy any type of cancer. However, because of the inability to selectively irradiate the cancer with conventional means of treatment, normal tissues that receive a high radiation dose can also be damaged. This precaution reduces the likelihood of cure for many patients. The medical profession, knowing the limitations of its arsenal in the war against cancer, has to give the patient enough potential remedy to defeat the cancer, without causing too much damage to the patient. In some cases, that is not possible, and the patient is allowed to die.