VINDICATED AT LAST.
The first Cancer conference I attended 16 years ago was a joint Lorne (Vic Aust) AACR (American Association of Cancer Research) conference.  A lecture on the second day was about a bowel cancer in which the number one tumor repressor p53 was mutated, presumably the reason for the tumor, and it secreted a prostaglandin PGF2.  Now I knew that PGF2 constricted or narrowed blood vessels supplying the gastrointestinal tract and suddenly I had a different spin on the sequence of events.  At question time I suggested that hypoxia or oxygen starvation was the cause of the bowel cancer, not the mutations in the p53 tumor repressor. I suggested that the mutations in the p53 were a RESULT of the hypoxia. As I said this tumor secreted a prostaglandin PGF2 which is a vasoconstrictor. Adrenalin activates PGF2 in the gastro-intestinal tract in response to 'fight or flight', stress in other words. My theory went like this. Stress>adrenalin>PGF2>vasoconstriction>HYPOXIA>p53 mutation>CANCER.

At the end of the symposium a chap approached me and suggested that this was a very interesting idea as he was working on the same cells. It turned out that he was the AACR convener. I saw him later and explained to him what is called the RAS pathway by which adrenalin works. He said, "You must be a very good biochemist" I was nonplussed by this as I didn't thing my suggestion was  anything extraordinary and I replied that "I'm not a biochemist, I'm an electronic technician, this is just a hobby for me. He looked dumbfounded as if I was taking the Mickey out of him and didn't say anything, then took off. I didn't run into him again for the rest of the Conference.

The following year when I went to pay the Conference secretary for everything, registration, all meals and accommodation she whispered as she handed me my bag, "Don't worry Noddy, it all been taken care off" ($750}. I was gobsmacked as there was no explanation as to why. The same thing happened for the following two years the gradually tapered off. I know now. You see my answer that day involved endocrinology, biochemistry, hematology, oncology, molecular biology etc. all of which I had studied BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO

All of the delegates are molecular biologist looking for GENES to blame, then design the appropriate drug. It is pure commerce and that blinds totally. This, plus Dawkinist dogma, makes it IMPOSSIBLE to understand cancer, let alone find a cure. How could the delegates POSSIBLY admit that an amateur scientist had worked something out that the entire global community of cancer researchers couldn't.  Yet taking the multidisciplinary approach made it easy, hence my amazement at the response to my suggestion.  These conferences are run by private enterprise and they are not gonna give away thousands of dollars to some amateur out the goodness of their hearts.  Now I know this sounds incredibly mean spirited, but I really am grateful.

At the last conference I attended there were two lectures on the discovery of the HIF (hypoxia inducable factor) proteins and their associated genes.  No kudos for me, however.  If I had said “I suggested that years ago” I would have been howled down.

Now I have to somehow get the AACR to admit that I started this in 1997.