Until recently, cancer was considered hard to treat - a disease few survived. Doctors even joked about oncologists having cardiology envy. Heart disease patients, unlike people with cancer, have many proven options, including statins that stop plaque, angioplasty and bypass surgery. In contrast, most cancer patients don’t get guarantees.According to the American Cancer Society, cancer kills nearly 554,000 Americans and causes 30% of all deaths. But new drugs that target cancer cells while avoiding healthy cells are boosting chances of survival. Most of these drugs have regulatory approval to treat only tiny populations of patients with rare cancers, but they do offer hope.
