Cancer is acknowledged as one of the most dangerous
biological diseases and there are many ongoing research studies to try and find
suitable drugs to cure the uncontrollable cell replication. Cancer is caused
when cells replicate unusually and rapidly to form tumours, this is because the
cell does not undergo apoptosis (the normal programmed cell death) and these
tumours need to be treated so that the disease does not further spread to the
rest of the body and so that the tumours do not cause pressure on other parts
of the body.[1] In 2008 breast cancer was
responsible for the death of about 153 women in
every 100,000 women in the population [1] and about 76 cases of lung
cancer per 100,000 men.[1] These statistics have led to an escalation
in the development of new treatments in an attempt to impede the uncontrolled
cell replication typical of cancer cells.
