On The Cancer Frontier: One Man, One Disease, And A Medical Revolution Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
In 1950, a diagnosis of cancer was all but a death sentence. Mortality rates only got worse, and as late as 1986, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine lamented: “We are losing the war against cancer.” Cancer is one of humankind’s oldest and most persistent enemies; it has been called the existential disease.But we are now entering a new, and more positive, phase in this long campaign. While cancer has not been cured—and a cure may elude us for a long time yet—there has been a revolution in our understanding of its nature. Years of brilliant science have revealed how this individualistic disease seizes control of the foundations of life—our genes—and produces guerrilla cells that can attack and elude treatments. Armed with those insights, scientists have been developing more effective weapons and producing better outcomes for patients. Paul A. Marks, MD, has been a leader in these efforts to finally control this devastating disease.Marks helped establish the strategy for the “war on cancer” in 1971 as a researcher and member of President Nixon’s cancer panel. As the president and chief executive officer for nineteen years at the world’s pre-eminent cancer hospital, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, he was instrumental in ending the years of futility. He also developed better therapies that promise a new era of cancer containment. Some cancers, like childhood leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, that were once deadly conditions, are now survivable—even curable. New steps in prevention and early diagnosis are giving patients even more hope. On the Cancer Frontier is Marks’ account of the transformation in our understanding of cancer and why there is growing optimism in our ability to stop it.
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: PublicAffairs (March 11, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1610392523
ISBN-13: 978-1610392525
Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.8 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,350,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #99 in Books > Business & Money > Industries > Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology #886 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Medicine #1162 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Oncology
This is a good overview book. It documents Marks' career and how it fit into the decades-long "war on cancer", with concurrent documentation on the history of the Sloan-Kettering cancer research medical center.The reader will not learn of specific and cutting-edge cancer treatments or prospects therefore. There is some mention of certain regimens that hold promise along the last several decades, but the mention is largely to highlight how long, complex, and costly is the effort to discover and gain FDA approval for certain cancer treatments. All factors are daunting in every way.There is mention of "progress" in the treatment of various cancers, delineated by multiple decades, so the reader does get a sense "cures" are possible. Pediatric cancer in particular has seen tremendous increases in five-year survival. The incidence of cigarette-related cancer is highlighted with candor and bold statistics.Marks is effective in keeping himself "in the game" throughout his career and the book. He never observes from the sideline, despite his roles as an administrator or manager, rather than a clinician. He remains a highly-effective vanguard in all phases of the birth, growth, and success of Sloan-Kettering as a cutting-edge institution. Right up to the present, there's no "magic bullet" in the treatment of cancer or in creating a world-renowned entity. It's old-school, tremendously-hard, work and persistence and the ability to affect others in a progressive and futuristic way with a fixation on excellence.Readers seeking a bird's-eye view of a career in science and the public good will enjoy the book. A scientific journal it isn't, nor does Marks intend as much. Hence, a title such as "A Life in the War on Cancer" might be more apt.I actually feel like reaching out to Marks to compliment him as Sloan-Kettering treats my best friend for recurrent Lymphoma. Thank-you Dr. Marks!!
Written for Lay Readers in a conversationalist style. Instead of On the Cancer Frontier, it is a autobiography of Dr.Marks and his dedication and perseverance.The book lacks detail and depth. the almost total failure of the Genetic basis for cancer to produce safe and effective therapies is omitted. In fact, the controversy whether the genetic basis of cancer is correct is omitted, with the tacit understanding that this Somatic Mutation Theory is correct. The Warburg theory, a very cogent alternate theory is omitted entirely. The Overwhelming Failure of the War on Cancer is omitted with inaacurate skewed statistics of success. There is no depth to the book. A history of Memorial Sloan Kettering is not enough substance for the text.very little information in the book."The Emperor of all Maladies" a Pulitzer Prize winning Book totally overwhelms this book in detail and depth and where we are, where we have been,, and where we are going.."The Truth in small Doses",another recent book, again is many times superior in depth and detail and accuracy, and an equally easy read as Cancer Frontier..The Title is misleading, as there is very little infpormation on the research being done in the frontier...One Star
Had to throw it away. Basically, it is the writer's life story in cancer research. Nice if you are into that sort of meandering, but not useful if you are trying to glean insights into the field. The field of cancer research itself has moved heavily into bioinformatics, which the author completely ignores.
fantastic book on the history and future treatment of cancer
Too much about the man not enough about the disease.I was hoping to learn more about cancer than the about the author.
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