Denina Sulejmanovic

SCIE1458 Lora Miani

April 19, 2016

Documentary Critique: Chasing the Cancer Answer

Cancer is not inevitable. Have you ever wondered why treatment is so

propelled compared to actually preventing cancers in humans today?
Prevention is simple, but silenced and ignored by higher authorities involved
and responsible for contributions to cancer societies capital. In the
documentary video, Chasing the Cancer by CBC journalist, Wendy Mesley
we learn about two relevant ideas: prevention versus treatment and the
Canadian Cancer Society.
Wendy Mesley is behind the entire concept for this documentary, and
the star as she takes us on a quest. She opens up with her personal battle
with breast cancer which has led her to search for answers to the many
controversial and direct questions. Wendy was astonished to learn that she
has developed cancer, because as she stated, I'm healthy, I eat my veggies.
I exercise a lot. I try to lead a pretty clean lifestyle. Although this all may be
in fact true, she was not previously informed that some actions she had been
taking may have increased her risk, for example, the birth control pill.
Originally, she had begun her quest of this documentary with the intention to
learn the reason and the cause as to why she was diagnosed. Wendy did not
come to learn exactly what had caused cancer to form in her own body, but
she got an idea when she was educated on the reality of the birth control pill
and her blood test results were reported. She was floored when she found
that PCBs were in her blood, yet they were banned years ago. Wendy Mesley

Denina Sulejmanovic

SCIE1458 Lora Miani

April 19, 2016

had turned her attention to an array of individuals for potential answers

fellow cancer patients, persons of contact at Canadian Cancer Society, and
even doctors, none of which delivered a direct answer.
The most alarming idea of the documentary to Wendy, to myself, and
to probably the majority of the Canadian public is how little is actually done
in regards to assisting to prevent cancer, rather than treat it. One in two
people in the world have a chance of being diagnosed, and the risk is a hair
higher for females (Chasing the Cancer, 2006), so the question poses, why is
more not being done to prevent cancer? Unfortunately, there are no
companies devoted to cancer prevention as they are to cancer treatment
there is no incentive for these types of companies, economically. The sad
truth is that companies would rather inject all variations of drugs and
treatment into our people for the extra change in their pockets than to teach
them how to prevent themselves from being diagnosed with this potentially
deadly epidemic. Besides the fact that food and beverage products that we
are purchasing for ourselves and for our families are a serious scare in the
world of cancer today. Some parts of the world, for example, the European
Union, have regulations in place that restrict use of some carcinogens that
are surprisingly still found in Canadian products too bad our government
and agencies do not have the obligation to run aisles and shelves in stores,
but products can be made without these carcinogens, so why are they not?
In Canada, the idea of treatment ruling out prevention can easily be
deemed as the fault of the Canadian Cancer Society. They have not gone

Denina Sulejmanovic

SCIE1458 Lora Miani

April 19, 2016

ways to inform our public of prevention. On their website, and on Canadian

Cancer Society pamphlets, it is vaguely outlined with prevention tips such as:
to stop smoking, and to live a healthy lifestyle as if we did not know this
already. There are several occurrences in the documentary where Wendy
mentions, in a frustrated manner, these risk reduction tips which do not give
the necessary information they are commonly acknowledged practices
unlike more knowledgeable information like environmental toxins or
ingredients and chemicals that at times are not even listed on your food and
beverage products. Dr. Sam Epstein moves ahead to put the blame on the
Canadian Cancer Society, they have ignored the concerns and told the
public if they get cancer, it is their own fault. The Canadian Cancer Society
is not worried about informing you of prevention because their capital rises
through treatment. A pathetic ten percent of the Canadian Cancer Societys
budget is contributed towards prevention, (Global Philanthropy, 2011). The
more drugs bought in the cancer world, the higher the profit for these
organizations cancer medication is the fastest growing class of drugs in the
world, exceeding a cost of $800 billion, worldwide, (Drug Watch, 2015).
Wendy Mesleys cancer treatment cost the system $60,000 alone in 2006. A
representative for the Canadian Cancer Society was interviewed by Wendy in
the documentary, and she was very difficult to get answers out of. Some of
Wendys questions went unanswered while some received a response of, I
cannot answer that, only leading Wendy to think even worse of the
organization than she already did. However, what was mentioned was the

Denina Sulejmanovic

SCIE1458 Lora Miani

April 19, 2016

idea that the Canadian Cancer Society may actually have a strategy for
prevention implementation if only the federal government would fund it. The
entire cancer industry is not even a medical industry anymore, rather a
business industry.
With further conducted research, since 2006, a number of companies
have been participating in an effective attempt at reducing the carcinogen
levels they release in the environment, they are both motivated and
pressured by various factors such as liability concerns, (Cancer Care,
2009). The public continues to demand safer products in our country. In
2011, a carcinogen report in the United States claimed that manufacturers
and importers of carcinogen chemicals would have to make changes to their
hazard and safety communication, and workers would require training post
report prompt, (American Psychological Association, 2011). Many chemicals
have been identified as carcinogens in the manufacturing world, and it has
not come to an end yet, as more and more are newly identified at steady
paces. Canada has participated in positive prevention awareness by
requiring all products on store shelves to identify or list all ingredients and
chemicals as of November 2006 (Chasing the Cancer Answer, 2006) and by
passing the Ontario Skin Cancer Prevention Act in 2013 which prohibits youth
under the age of eighteen to access tanning beds, (Canadian Cancer Society,
2013). Soft drink and snack companies, such as Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay,
have moved forward and made changes to their ingredients after being
threatened by health authorities to include labels on their products that

Denina Sulejmanovic

SCIE1458 Lora Miani

April 19, 2016

would inform the public that carcinogens are a component of their production
while others like Pepsi still contain cancer-causing chemicals in their
products. Other large organizations and companies, like tobacco companies,
certainly have the technology to reduce levels of carcinogens, but simply
choose not to apply these changes. While a number of changes in production
and regulations have changed since 2006, it is not enough because cancer
statistics are only rising and conditions have worsened. With the power the
government holds in our society, they can take actions and impose
implications where they can consider expanding health care, strengthen
regulations, reduce toxins, inform our people of what is going on, control the
organizations and corporations, encourage education, promote organic
foods, work towards ending the use of tobacco, and even promote global
movements for clean air and sustainable energy we simply cannot do this
on our own.
We blame the Canadian Cancer Society and are incensed with the idea
that prevention of cancer is not as nearly attained to as drugs and treatment
to patients. The people of our nation should be encouraged to think of cancer
as not an inevitable disease, but in fact a preventable disease. The Canadian
Cancer Society and the larger drug corporations know that you save lives by
preventing cancer not by treating it, yet the fault of diagnosis is left on us as
people, and they insist that if we care about our lives, we will educate
ourselves but they are the ones who can help us prevent it, or at the bare

Denina Sulejmanovic

SCIE1458 Lora Miani

April 19, 2016

minimum, help us to educate ourselves with the correct information and

resources.

References
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to a preventable epidemic. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society.
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Elkins, C. (2015, October 07). How Much Cancer Costs. Retrieved April 17,
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Denina Sulejmanovic

SCIE1458 Lora Miani

April 19, 2016

Hecht, S. S., Stepanov, I., & Hatsukami, D. K. (2011). Major tobacco

companies have technology to reduce carcinogen levels but do not apply it
to popular smokeless tobacco products. Tobacco Control, 20(6),
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Paquette, D. (2013, October 09). Canadian Cancer Society celebrates
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Wente, M. (2009, April 05). The Cancer Answer is no answer. Retrieved April
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