In 1971, the U.S. Congress passed the National Cancer Act and devoted millions of dollars to cancer research. Forty years later, that research is bearing fruit as many cancers have yielded to better detection, better treatment, better survivability and better cure rates. U.T. Health Science Center oncologist Dr. William Hyman discusses progress in the War on Cancer in this latest post to HealthConnection.TV.

Have we made progress in detecting, treating and curing cancer in the past 30 to 40 years? (first question)

For what types of cancers has there been the most progress in terms of survival rates and cures? (skip to 0:45)

For what types of cancers has it been the most difficult to improve outcomes? (skip to 1:38)

What do we need to do in order to wage a more effective war against cancer? (skip to 2:00)

If a young person starts smoking but quits early in life, is the risk of lung cancer still significant? (skip to 2:30)

As the population ages, cancer rates increase. Why is this so? (skip to 3:11)

Because of improved mortality rates for other diseases, have we statistically increased the chances for getting cancer? (skip to 4:12)

How has genetic research impacted the diagnosis and treatment of cancer? (skip to 4:48)

What does the future hold for genetic testing for cancer? (skip to 6:16)

Some have predicted that there will one day be a vaccine for cancer. How likely is it that this prediction will come true? (skip to 6:39)

Will there ever be a cure for cancer? (skip to 7:22)

With advances made in recent years in understanding genetics, it is now possible to administer tests to help determine an individual’s susceptibility to cancer and to possibly ascertain the best courses of treatment for those that have certain cancers. But with this technology comes a list of questions regarding the timing, accuracy and even the ethics of testing individuals for susceptibility to disease. The U.T. Health Science Center’s Dr. William Hyman discusses these issues in this edition of Health Connection.

What is genetic or gene testing? (first question)

What is the relationship between genes and cancer? (skip to 0:31)

How are diseased cancer genes identified? (skip to 1:05)

How accurate is genetic testing as a predictor of cancer? (skip to 2:26)

What types of cancer susceptibility can be identified using genetic testing? (skip to 3:21)

Who should have genetic cancer testing done? (skip to 4:15)

How is genetic testing for cancer performed? (skip to 5:10)

What does the future hold of genetic testing as a tool to diagnose cancer? (skip to 5:44)

Are there ethical questions attendant to genetic testing? (skip to 6:40)

Many cancers are either curable or highly treatable if they are detected early. That’s why screening for detectable cancers at appropriate times and intervals is so important. Dr. Coty Ho, Chief of Medical Oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler joins us in this edition of Health Connection to discuss cancer screening for men and women.

What are the most important cancer screens for men? (first question)

What are the most important cancer screens for women? (skip to 00:44)

Who should have a colonoscopy and when? (skip to 01:14)

Recently, the government revised the guidelines regarding mammograms. What are your thoughts on this? (skip to 01:43)

What about the risks of false positives in cancer screenings? (skip to 02:52)

Does the PSA test for men make a difference in prostate cancer survival rates? (skip to 03:35)