TAMING CANCER

A thorough summary of the ways in which scientific breakthroughs are revolutionizing the treatment of cancer.

For a long time, the author notes, the conventional approach to treating cancer relied upon surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy: the “cut, burn, and poison” trinity. But while these toxic therapies can be very effective in reducing the size of the tumor, they can also catalyze the genetic instability that spreads cancer. Decades of new research in cancer biology, immunology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cellular engineering now promise new strategies that could reduce cancer to a manageable condition like diabetes. “While this malicious malady inherent to our biology cannot be eradicated, perhaps, at last, it can be tamed.” The author furnishes a concise but comprehensive history of the research related to cancer and the evolving scientific consensus, as well as a remarkably lucid discussion of the “startling advancements in cancer therapy” like precision oncology that can “characterize in exquisite detail the molecular characteristics of each patient’s cancer.” The great challenge of fighting cancer has always been its “astounding biological complexity,” but new knowledge, including the sequencing of the human genome, has revealed much about the “biochemical basis of life.” Kelner’s presentation has no shortage of scientific technicality; he writes with admirable clarity, although the complex nature of the subject only permits so much accessibility to a lay audience. Nevertheless, he achieves his goal not only to provide a rigorous synopsis of the most recent research, but also to convey his “enthusiasm and wonder” for biology and medicine. Cancer is a “dreadful human affliction,” but there’s something not only intellectually fascinating but also morally noble about the collective scientific effort to counter it. For those interested in the subject, and armed with patience for some dense reading, this is a marvelous book that’s packed with knowledge, insight, and hope.

A thrilling synopsis of the current condition of the fight against cancer.