His remarks echo those of the UK’s Lord Saatchi, who is also trying to free oncologists from relying almost exclusively on chemotherapy, surgery or radiotherapy.
Since his son died, Vice-president Biden has been exploring why more innovative treatments aren’t being trialled. The answer lies in the world of cancer and medicine, he said.
One of his last initiatives as vice-president is to “break down the silence” that permeates the worlds of cancer treatment, researchers and their benefactors. In meetings with the various groups, Mr Biden said the whole industry is rife with competition, territorialism and resistance to information-sharing.
On Twitter, he has urged Americans to “demand collaboration from the scientific community.”
During the final 12 months of his term of office, Mr Biden has promised he will push for more funding into cancer therapies, encourage data-sharing about patients and treatment outcomes.
Two promising therapies include immunotherapy, says Mr Biden, which harnesses the body’s own immune system to attack tumours, and ‘precision medicine’, which is based more on the personal genetic make-up of each cancer patient.
Lord Saatchi is attempting something similar with his Medical Innovations Bill, which would free oncologists to try other promising therapies. He created the Bill after witnessing the death of his wife, who endured many courses of chemotherapy.
(Source: Daily Mail, January 15, 2016)
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