THE medical world - and investors in drugs firms - are galvanised by a research breakthrough in America that promises a cure for all kinds of cancer.

It is a development that will fill millions of ordinary people with hope.

For despite all the real advances over the years that have reduced its menace, cancer remains the second-biggest killer.

Thus, the discovery of a cure-all, cancer-killing magic-bullet drugs combination would be the fulfilment of a fantastic dream.

But it must be remembered that drugs which have been found to kill tumours in mice have yet to be shown to do the same in man.

Let us hope that this promising development - arguably the most encouraging in all the years of cancer research - can be successfully transferred to humans.

But let us not build our hopes up too high, only for the disappointment to be more bitter than it need be.

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