While billions of dollars are being spent on cancer research, mainly on improving chemotherapy, radiotherapy and genetherapy thereby, reducing their side effects - there has hardly been any research work on alternative therapies.
Research has proven that the earlier the detection of cancer, the greater are the chances of cure. Thus cancer when detected at Stage-1 has a far greater possibility of cure than during Stage-4. Treatment is rather difficult when cancer has metastasised / spread to other parts of the body. The cancer cure is generally spoken of in terms of ‘five-year survival rate’. This figure is an admission that survival of cancer patients beyond five years after its discovery is not very high at the present status of research and treatment. More important than curing cancer is to prevent it.

• Evaluating Process, Outcome, and Satisfaction in Yoga-based Cancer Support Groups
  
• Understanding how cancer arises and spreads
  
• Gene Therapy
  
• Ayurveda
  
• Biological Therapies
• Other Research Work
  

Many cancers are said to be highly preventable. It is hoped by the medical community that dramatic results in cancer treatment may not be far off. It is also clear that pain in cancer can be subdued and the misery it brings can be comforted. While cigarette smoking causes cancer, dietary habits, pollutants and radiation can also cause cancer, but the list of carcinogenic substances keeps constantly changing.

With the advances made in cancer research, while death rates due to cancer of testes, ovary, Hodgkin’s disease, stomach, thyroid, colon-rectal cancers etc. have declined in a marked way, from 65% to less than 1%, death rates due to many others have increased – brain cancer, liver, lung, kidney, melanoma of skin, lymphoma, etc. Overall the death rates have shown an increase. The number of afflictions has also gone up substantially – 40% of Americans are likely to be stricken by cancer eventually.

It is also recognised that eradication of cancer totally from the body is difficult. The aim is more to contain it. The efforts today are more on strategies of containment than cure.

Dr. Jimmie Holland, in his article entitled "Living with Cancer" in Scientific American, September, 1996 recommends that meditation, yoga and relaxation help fight cancer in a big way. One must also explore spiritual and religious beliefs and practices. He recommends that ‘Visualisation’ (Chidakasa Dharana) helps in fighting cancer – that is, one must visualise the immune cells attacking and destroying cancer cells. Also the mortality rates are lower when there is supportive and empathetic social relationships.