You're trivializing the ultimate source of the problem.
No, I'm not. But it's occurred to me that I'm imagining this as treatment for Tasmanian devils that already have tumors. Maybe other people are envisioning it as a preventative measure.
And maybe that's part of the problem in trying to discuss it.
It is by definition a preventative measure. Otherwise, it's no different then any other cancer treatment in that it has the same fundamental weakness working against it: natural selection.
If the cells knew when they were supposed to die, then it wouldn't be cancer.
If the cure is telling the cells when they're supposed to die, then the cells that don't listen survive, ergo the cancer survives.
Which, in the sense of (non-preventitive) treatment, makes it a problem of universal targeting.
No, I'm not. But it's occurred to me that I'm imagining this as treatment for Tasmanian devils that already have tumors. Maybe other people are envisioning it as a preventative measure.
And maybe that's part of the problem in trying to discuss it.