A World without Cancer: The Making of a New Cure and the Real Promise of Prevention
Radiologist Cuomo deems the war on cancer a stalemate at best. Her opening sentence is a salvo: “The system designed to study, diagnose, and treat cancer in the United States is fatally flawed.” She believes the expectations of actually curing the disease have been replaced by a clinical resignation to living with it as a chronic illness along the lines of diabetes or hypertension. She’s not happy with the triad of treatment options for cancer—surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, satirized as “cut, poison, and burn.” Cuomo finds fault with their toxicity, expense, and often minimally beneficial long-term results for individuals with advanced malignancies. She cites one study showing that cancer patients who received palliative care survived about three months longer, with less depression, than those who obtained standard therapies. She offers recommendations emphasizing prevention. Change behaviors linked to a raised risk of cancer. Lower exposure to medical radiation and environmental contaminants. Get cancer-preventing vaccines. Consider screening for selected types of the disease. In sum, Cuomo makes a convincing case for changing the culture of cancer. --Tony Miksanek