3 ms·

Is there a good book about cancer for a layman? That can help them understand what exactly the disease is, it's variants and a list of potential strategies to b

by max_ 2y ago

Is there a good book about cancer for a layman? That can help them understand what exactly the disease is, it's variants and a list of potential strategies to beat the disease.

ggm 2y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_of_All_Maladies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_of_All_Maladies is a good overview of the history of radical surgery and chemotherapy, and the emergence of modern treatment to 2010
otteromkram 2y ago
Wikipedia is usually a pretty good starting point. In addition to summarized content, reference links should be available.
- max_ 2y ago
  Wikipedia is a rabbit hole. It seems too wide. I want someone that has already done comprehensive research to guide me on what I should be paying attention to.
stenl 2y ago
”The Emperor of all Maladies” by Siddhartha Mukherjee is fantastic
liquid_bluing 2y ago
I found this book, which traces the surprisingly long and fascinating history of using immunotherapy to treat cancer up to the present day, well, fascinating: The Breakthrough: Immunotherapy and the Race to Cure Cancer - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakthrough:_Immunotherapy_and_the_Race_to_Cure_Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakthrough:_Immunotherap... My uncle died of a glioblastoma, and shortly after I read this book, I was myself diagnosed with cancer (treated conventionally, hopefully cured). Immunotherapies like mRNA vaccines seem to be our best hope for finding reliable, permanent cures for a lot of different cancers. I am sorry that for many of our loved ones, a cure will have come too late.
- rob74 2y ago
  > the surprisingly long and fascinating history of using immunotherapy to treat cancer Well yeah, it has been known for a long time that cancer can do what it does because of the immune system's failure to eliminate the "defective" cells. Also, there are the rare "spontaneous remissions" where, for some reason, the immune system eventually catches up and manages to destroy the cancer. So there have been many attempts to harness the immune system in cancer treatment. Glad to see that all that work is finally bearing fruit (fingers crossed)...
gnyman 2y ago
Not a book, but the Kurzgesagt series on cancer are a great start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhYJRqz_xk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhYJRqz_xk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJwt9l-XhQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJwt9l-XhQ Also while not about cancer specifically, the book Immune by the kurzgesagt founder Philipp Dettmer has a chapter on it and the relation to the immune system. Which is very relevant for these new immunotherapies.
Wonnk13 2y ago
The Emperor of all Maladies

by max_ 2y ago

Is there a good book about cancer for a layman? That can help them understand what exactly the disease is, it's variants and a list of potential strategies to beat the disease.

ggm 2y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_of_All_Maladies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_of_All_Maladies is a good overview of the history of radical surgery and chemotherapy, and the emergence of modern treatment to 2010

otteromkram 2y ago

Wikipedia is usually a pretty good starting point. In addition to summarized content, reference links should be available.

max_ 2y ago
Wikipedia is a rabbit hole. It seems too wide. I want someone that has already done comprehensive research to guide me on what I should be paying attention to.

stenl 2y ago

”The Emperor of all Maladies” by Siddhartha Mukherjee is fantastic

liquid_bluing 2y ago

I found this book, which traces the surprisingly long and fascinating history of using immunotherapy to treat cancer up to the present day, well, fascinating: The Breakthrough: Immunotherapy and the Race to Cure Cancer - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakthrough:_Immunotherapy_and_the_Race_to_Cure_Cancer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakthrough:_Immunotherap... My uncle died of a glioblastoma, and shortly after I read this book, I was myself diagnosed with cancer (treated conventionally, hopefully cured). Immunotherapies like mRNA vaccines seem to be our best hope for finding reliable, permanent cures for a lot of different cancers. I am sorry that for many of our loved ones, a cure will have come too late.

rob74 2y ago
> the surprisingly long and fascinating history of using immunotherapy to treat cancer Well yeah, it has been known for a long time that cancer can do what it does because of the immune system's failure to eliminate the "defective" cells. Also, there are the rare "spontaneous remissions" where, for some reason, the immune system eventually catches up and manages to destroy the cancer. So there have been many attempts to harness the immune system in cancer treatment. Glad to see that all that work is finally bearing fruit (fingers crossed)...

gnyman 2y ago

Not a book, but the Kurzgesagt series on cancer are a great start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhYJRqz_xk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhYJRqz_xk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJwt9l-XhQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJwt9l-XhQ Also while not about cancer specifically, the book Immune by the kurzgesagt founder Philipp Dettmer has a chapter on it and the relation to the immune system. Which is very relevant for these new immunotherapies.

Wonnk13 2y ago

The Emperor of all Maladies