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The Emperor of All Maladies

A Biography of Cancer

By Siddhartha Mukherjee

(18)

| Others | 9781439170915

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The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, By Siddhartha Mukherjee

This is a story of pioneers and mavericks; of serendipity, risk-taking and wild leaps of faith; of meetings of minds that changed medical history and obsessive experiments conducted in solitude. It is a story of inspiration found in bathtubs, blizzar ... (read full critics)

independent published on Fri, 18 Mar 2011

Care or cure?

Cancer is usually associated with death. For the cancer specialist, however, cancer is more about life: not just patients’ lives; the cancer itself often lives the life of Riley. If it has a life, then, it is entitled to a biography. Here, Siddhartha ... (read full critics)

spectator published on Fri, 4 Feb 2011

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1 Review

1 person find this helpful

If you are afraid of something, I think the best strategy is to face it, and learn as much as you can about it.
Cancer is such a horrible disease, where 1/4 of the whole population will get cancer in their life.
What is even more scaring is that the treatment is so toxic, so merciless.... and ... (continue)

If you are afraid of something, I think the best strategy is to face it, and learn as much as you can about it.
Cancer is such a horrible disease, where 1/4 of the whole population will get cancer in their life.
What is even more scaring is that the treatment is so toxic, so merciless.... and sometimes the cancer patients think the treatement is even more horrible than cancer itself.
This is a book about the past, present and future of cancer.
It tells us why this nortourious chemotherapy was invented. At desperation, any treatment, even if we have no idea on the causes of cellular basis of cancer, the doctor still wanna try chemotherphy since it could save the patient, even if just temporarily for a few months, or a few weeks.
And as of the recent breakthrough, cancer is essentially a genetic related disease. There are some genes and in average 13 pathway that give rise of cancers.... all kinds of cancers. There are some blocking medicine that can help to block these out-of-the-way gene from working. So stop some cancer, but not all.
Maybe one day, there will be the universal cure for cancer. But cancer is definitely the emperor of all maladies.... and won't have quick and easy solution.
BTW, I thought the author is a woman until he mentioned his wife! He is very empathetic to the patient. I am sure he has a tough time, since it is such a struggle and most of his patient died.

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Samsara said on Apr 11, 2011 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback