In today's society, cancer is an epidemic. It affects both developed and underdeveloped countries and challenges social and economic progress. Yet cancer continues to rise. No one is safe from cancer and we are also opportunistic when it comes to gender. Cancer does not discriminate based on age, gender or social class. Studies show that in the United States alone, 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed each year. Cancer takes its toll: more than 12 million people around the world discover they have cancer each year. Many therefore wonder if a cure for cancer will one day be developed. In the world of cancer, the word “cure” does not mean that a patient is free of cancer for the rest of their life. Recovery is simply a state of remission. Most doctors call a patient cancer-free if they have been in remission for five years or more, but there is always a risk of the cancer returning. However, the longer a patient remains in remission, the greater the risk that the cancer will not return. This definition of healing does not allow us, in today's society, to have a definitive and absolute cure for cancer. Yet, it still allows us to research and find a definitive cure for cancer for future patients. In order to determine if there will ever be a “one size fits all” cure for cancer, you need to know the basics of cancer. Cancer is a general name given to a group of about 200 diseases. Although there are many types of cancer, cancer always begins with abnormal growth of cells. Cancer cells develop when a normal cell refuses to die and continues to grow to form new abnormal cells. These cancer cells are also capable of invading other tissues and organs that normal cells cannot. Cancer cells can be caused by DNA damage. Normally, ...... middle of paper ...... become invisible to the innate immune system. The innate immune system is the first wave of cells that the immune system sends throughout the body. It is therefore easy to escape the innate immune system since it constitutes the first line of defense. The adaptive immune system is called upon to eliminate pathogens that have escaped the innate immune system. By the time the adaptive immune system is called upon to eliminate a cancer, it is too late, the cancer is in complete control. It is therefore believed that if we as humans can program the immune system to allow the adaptive immune system to serve as the first line of defense alongside the innate immune system, cancer will never be about to develop because the adaptive immune system would take note. and eliminate it. Many therefore wonder if they will see the success of immunotherapy abolish the existence of cancer during their lifetime...