Epilogue: What we don't know about cancer

Despite billions of dollars expended since the 'war on cancer' was declared more than 25 years ago, cancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, and its precise pathogenesis remains elusive. Moreover, current treatments, even when successful, are grounded in extensive operations, high energy irradiation and toxic chemotherapy, which carry substantial short- and long-term sequelae. It is, therefore, appropriate to reconsider current concepts of cancer biology in terms of the vast ignorance that surrounds this ancient scourge. From the perspective of a Curriculum on Medical Ignorance, this epilogue surveys questions raised by authors of this monograph, other experts, and patients afflicted with cancer and related disorders. Further, the focus is on basic biological, clinical, and societal implications of carcinogenesis theories as well as the nature and process of scientific inquiry in the context of the general phenomenon of ignorance in medicine.