Letters on war on cancer, Wal-Mart closings, Out of the Office
War on cancer needs intelligent strategies
Regarding “Single cancer cure an outdated notion” (Jan. 16 Insight): I was once a buck private in President Nixon’s war on cancer while working at the National Cancer Institute in the late 1970s. I’m also a cancer survivor – thanks to surgery. I’d like to make three points about any new war on cancer.
First, the best way to “wage” war is to compel lifestyle changes (obesity and smoking reduction) that mitigate the need for doing battle. The second is to reduce the overuse of screening (breast and prostate cancer) that leads to pseudo-battles that never needed fighting. The third is to attack diagnostic errors that foster erroneous treatment, fighting the wrong battle.
Folks must be concerned that any future cancer “cure” is going to be so expensive that only a few can afford the spoils of the war on cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment are already astonishingly expensive.
The United States has by far the most expensive health care industry among developed countries, yet our life expectancy and infant mortality are abominable. I salute those who wish to renew our war on cancer, but let’s not forget to avoid medical battles with other intelligent strategies.
John T. James, Wichita
Laughing at the poor
Wal-Mart closed smaller stores in the poorer neighborhoods so it can raise its bottom line at the expense of those who can least afford it (“9 Wal-Mart stores to close this month in Kansas,” Jan. 16 Business). Let the family of founder Sam Walton sit in their mansions and laugh at the poor underlings who cannot get to their superstores. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. If there were any justice, all people would boycott Wal-Mart.
R. Hackard, Wichita
Reminded of Mad
Many years ago, Mad Magazine featured a large panoramic drawing showing celebrities visiting at a cocktail party. I can recall seeing Frankenstein’s monster, bent over, visiting with Little Orphan Annie. Among the crowd was Humphrey Bogart chatting with Mahatma Gandhi. I wonder why I think about that old scene from Mad when I look at the Out of the Office feature each Thursday in The Eagle’s Business Today section.
Don Maxey, Wichita
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This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Letters on war on cancer, Wal-Mart closings, Out of the Office."