Living with the enemy.

A quarter of a century after President Nixon declared war on cancer, the disease continues to be a major cause of death. By the 1990s research was concentrating on the genetics of cancer and biotechnology companies were attracted by the profits they anticipated from patenting cancer genes and marketing diagnostic tests. The programme describes the clash between Britain's Royal Marsden Hospital and the U.S. Myriad Biotech company over the discovery of a breast cancer gene - an outstanding example of the conflict between commercial interests and those who are dedicated to keeping scientific knowledge in the public domain. The programme also contains material on prostate cancer, tobacco advertising in India and mouth and throat cancer in that country, and the relationship between the U.S. and British governments and the tobacco industry. So many causes of cancer have been identified - asbestos, radiation, tobacco - but governments hesitate to take action.