Editing 1217: Cells
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | {{w|Cancer}} is one of the most feared | + | {{w|Cancer}} is one of the most feared illnesses due to high mortality and a topic visited by Randall in [[:Category:Cancer|past comics]]. |
Whenever a study finds a hint of a cure, it is hyped up in media as major breakthrough. However, because research is done in a laboratory using cultivated cancer cell assays in petri dishes or well plates, it typically does not take interactions with other parts of a body into consideration, which is ultimately necessary for a patient to survive treatment without harmful side-effects. In order for a cancer treatment to be viable, it would have to primarily target only cancer cells; not healthy ones. Added to this is the issue that major cancer in the body quickly evolves resistance to most treatments, most treatments end up either unused or used as just one in a cocktail of cancer fighting drugs. | Whenever a study finds a hint of a cure, it is hyped up in media as major breakthrough. However, because research is done in a laboratory using cultivated cancer cell assays in petri dishes or well plates, it typically does not take interactions with other parts of a body into consideration, which is ultimately necessary for a patient to survive treatment without harmful side-effects. In order for a cancer treatment to be viable, it would have to primarily target only cancer cells; not healthy ones. Added to this is the issue that major cancer in the body quickly evolves resistance to most treatments, most treatments end up either unused or used as just one in a cocktail of cancer fighting drugs. | ||
− | Here, [[Randall]] reminds us that there's no need to get excited upon hearing about a drug that kills cancer cells because it may very well harm healthy cells as well, just as a bullet fired from a handgun would | + | Here, [[Randall]] reminds us that there's no need to get excited upon hearing about a drug that kills cancer cells because it may very well harm healthy cells as well, just as a bullet fired from a handgun would. |
− | The title text suggests that even if a drug did only kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, the human body still has many other complex processes that may render a drug that works in a petri dish insufficient. For instance, a drug that kills cancer cells in a petri dish may not be able to get at cancer cells deep within a human body | + | The title text suggests that even if a drug did only kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, the human body still has many other complex processes that may render a drug that works in a petri dish insufficient. For instance, a drug that kills cancer cells in a petri dish may not be able to get at cancer cells deep within a human body. It is a long way from the laboratory to the pharmacy. |
− | A more humorous interpretation of the title text is that it will only kill cancer cells if they are in petri dishes, and not anywhere else | + | A more humorous interpretation of the title text is that it will only kill cancer cells if they are in petri dishes, and not anywhere else. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | :When you see a claim that a common drug or vitamin "kills cancer cells in a petri dish", keep in mind: | |
− | :When you see a claim that a common drug or vitamin "kills cancer cells in a petri dish, | + | :[A scientist stands on a chair next to a desk, pointing a gun at a petri dish. There is a microscope on the desk.] |
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:So does a handgun. | :So does a handgun. | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category:Biology]] | [[Category:Biology]] | ||
[[Category:Cancer]] | [[Category:Cancer]] | ||
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