When the author was a young doctor, they were fascinated by research and discovering new drugs, and their goal was to stop cancer. Understanding how cells divide normally and abnormally is key to beating cancer. Cancer is complex with over 100 types and numerous causes. Efforts to develop new drugs have high failure rates. New collaborations across organizations may help cure cancer through a collective effort and looking deeper into cancer's complex pathways. Early cancer detection is important as tumor size and cell number increases exponentially with later detection. Molecular imaging shows promise for improved and earlier tumor detection and characterization to guide more effective, personalized cancer treatment.