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There is no word in the English language, or for that matter in any language, more frightening than "cancer". In virtually every family there are people afflicted with some form of this life threatening and life taking aliment.

Year after year the death toll from various forms of cancer has continued to increase worldwide. In 2007, the death toll from all cancers in the U.S. was approximately 547,000. That is about 1,500 Americans a day, or about one person a minute. Worldwide, cancer claimed about 7.9 million people in 2007, but by 2030, even with all the advancement in medicine, that figure is expected to increase to over 11.5 million annually. Cancer was responsible for 13 percent of all deaths worldwide.

The cost of health care related to cancer is staggering. In lost productivity alone, cancer cost the U.S. economy more than $60 billion annually. Medical treatment for an individual with cancer can easily reach a half-million dollars or more.

In the U.S., all cancers are second only to heart disease as the leading cause of death. Cancer is also among the most heart wrenching ways to die. It is often slow and progressive. Lung cancer is by far the largest cancer death scourge in America today for women. Lung cancer takes more than 69,000 women's lives a year. The annual worldwide death toll for lung cancer is about 1.3 million lives combined for men and women.

The second-largest cancer killer in the U.S. for women is breast cancer. Worldwide, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for women taking more than 500,000 lives annually. Men can also get breast cancer, but that number is small. More than 186,000 women and 1,700 men are diagnosed annually in the U.S. The death toll for breast cancer for women is in excess of 41,000 and less than 400 men (based on 2005 statistics). For Hispanic women, breast cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer death.

More than 70 percent of all cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income nations. That's a nice way of saying poor and under developed countries.

Research indicates that diet and exercise have a direct impact on cancer statistics. Research also indicates that serious factors for cancer include air pollution and other environmental issues can cause many different types of cancer that are often preventable.

Earlier this year Israeli scientists identified a substance than can kill the cancer cells associated with breast cancer without harming healthy cells. It may prove a major leap forward in cancer research and a potential remedy.

A research team headed by Prof. Malka Cohen-Armon of Tel-Aviv University and researchers from Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan tested a substance already in use the treatment of strokes. What they found was published in the journal Breast Cancer Research Nov. 9.

The researchers believe they have found the so-called Achilles heel within the cancer cell. They have found a drug used by stroke patients that kills cancer cells in breasts without affecting normal healthy cells. Apparently they have already received permission from the drug's manufacturer to do extensive tests with the drug.

While future testing is still needed, the research thus far indicates positive results. We are all praying this research brings the planet one step closer to a real cure for breast cancer and possibly other forms of cancer. This is just one more example of Israeli scientific know-how being put to the test.

Carl Resnick is a resident of Raritan and a local businessman.