James Watson: Cancer Moonshot Is ‘Same Old People Getting Together … And It’s All Crap’
Watson, who with Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA, tells Stat he isn't at war with the cancer research community, but he isn't impressed with some of the new strategies being explored. Also in the news, a study finds that fertility treatment doesn't raise a woman's risk of breast cancer and aggressive prostate cancer cases are increasing.
Stat:
DNA Pioneer James Watson: The Cancer Moonshot Is ‘Crap’ But There Is Still Hope
On the cancer moonshot announced this year by President Obama [James Watson told Stat]: The depressing thing about the “cancer moonshot” is that it’s the same old people getting together, forming committees, and the same old ideas, and it’s all crap . . . On the prospects of curing cancer: Everyone wants to sequence DNA [to treat cancer], but I don’t think that will help you cure late-stage cancer, because the mutations in metastatic cancer are not the same as those that started the cancer. I was pessimistic about curing cancer when gene-targeted drugs began to fail, but now I’m optimistic. (Begley, 7/20)
The New York Times:
I.V.F. Does Not Raise Breast Cancer Risk, Study Shows
Women undergoing in vitro fertilization have long worried that the procedure could raise their risk for breast cancer. ... But the largest, most comprehensive study to date, published Tuesday, provides further reassurance: It finds no increased risk among women who have undergone I.V.F. (Saint Louis, 7/19)
NBC News:
Cases Of Aggressive Prostate Cancer On The Rise, Research Finds
Cases of aggressive prostate cancer appear to be on the rise, researchers reported Tuesday. The good news is it's still rare for prostate cancer to spread. Just 3 percent of cases have already started spreading when men are diagnosed and prostate cancer overall has not become more common, the team found. (Fox, 7/19)