Dr. Christine Hawkins (Cancer)

We were very fortunate to be given the opportunity to talk to Doctor Christine Hawkins about her research in relation to cancer.

Dr. Hawkins explained how through her research she found that the majority of cancer cases are:

•  Breast Cancer
•  Lung Cancer                                                 
•  Colon Cancer
• Prostate Cancer

 She informed us that Cancer is one of the most prevalent 1st world diseases and it is not a major issue in 3rd world countries.  As cancer is a 1st world disease, medical researchers direct their efforts towards finding a cure for cancer and it is also why our governments give this disease greater priority.

When Dr. Hawkins spoke about our topic (which disease to cure first?) she spoke about how she believed we should prioritise diseases. Things to consider were:

1) The cost of the treatment? ( manufacturing of the product and the overall profit)
2) If given treatment, what is the extended life period? (1 month, 1 year, 2 years ect.)
3)What age group does it effect? ( young or old)                    
4) Is this disease more prevalent in 1st world countries or 3rd world countries?
5) The quality of life. ( will they be able to live life, or will they be a burden)
She spoke about the way some philanthropists and some of the governments allocate medical grants is by Quality Adjusted Years Of Life, where they actually put a value on life. It is around $2000 per 1 extra year of  optimal quality of life.


Doctor Christine Hawkins (which disease to cure first?) from Michael Metaxotos on Vimeo.

Dr. Hawkins explained how some of the more modern therapies that are targeting molecular defects in cancer are incredibly expensive.  For example, Zelevin which is used to treat Lymphoma costs $24,000 a month. It was also explained that for a 1st world country the government subsidises medical treatment and medicine. This means that the government pays a portion of the treatment, for example when we buy panadol, we pay  around $4.80 for it but the total cost my be around $8-$10. We are able to purchase it for a cheaper cost because the government subsidises the rest of the cost. However in 3rd wolrd countries the majority of governments do not have the money to subsidise some of the medical treatment and the majority of the people who live in poverty do not have the money to pay for the medical treatment. Consequently, if a person contracts an illness in a 3rd world country it may lead to death. This same illness in a 1st world country may be easily cured with a couple of pills and a few days rest.


Doctor Christine Hawkins from Michael Metaxotos on Vimeo.


Dr. Hawkins helped us to understand that the 3rd world countries may be infected by diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS/HIV but cancer is not a problem for them. This is because not many people living in the 3rd world live to the age when cancer is more commonly contracted. The reason for this is because these people live in poverty, with poor hygiene, dirty water and poor nutrition. Consequently, many people die of other illnesses such as diarrhoea, malaria and tuberculosis. These are conditions that are easily treated in the first world.


Written by Michael Metaxotos