Cancer: Big Business and the Painstaking Search for a Cure

Five years ago, cancer researchers were predicting "miracle treatments" — even vaccines -- based on the billions being spent on genetics. But the more they know, the more complicated cancer becomes, and even the American Cancer Society has tempered its optimism. Cancer victims, and members of Congress, are increasingly impatient with the slow pace of improvement. Are financial conflicts part of the problem? Given what’s known about personal habits like smoking, about occupational hazards and the environment, should more be spent on prevention?