In the prologue, Mukherjee asks the questions that captivated him during his two-year fellowship in oncology: Cancer became “an all-consuming presence” in his life. Rather, he approaches it first from a personal standpoint-that of an oncologist who has met and treated countless patients that have left indelible marks on his memory. Reflectionsįascinatingly, Mukherjee does not merely stage a historical narrative of cancer in chronological order. While early contenders were groping around in the dark like blind mice, pouncing on any new chemical potent enough to obliterate cancer cells, the belatedly revealed molecular basis and causative factors of cancer shone a light on the pitch-black tunnel, carving out a path for targeted therapy and prevention. Mukherjee takes us on a historical whirlwind of the faces, hopes and disappointments behind each new breakthrough in cancer treatment and research.Īs humanity’s knowledge of cancer evolved with science, so did the great minds hunting for a cure. Then, we accompany Sidney Farber in his tenacious fight against childhood leukaemia, followed by the first “multi-drug” chemotherapy regimen concocted by Frei and Freireich and others at the National Cancer Institute.
We are brought to the theatres of gruesome surgical operations, where radical mastectomy was pioneered and popularised by William Halsted. Both a personal quest and a pharaonic endeavour in scientific education, this thick volume is a joy to behold. The tumour lives within the patient, carried around as a weighty encumbrance.įrom hospital corridors to the winding alleys of the past, Mukherjee brings us on an exhilarating journey to explore the enigma of this age-old disease. A disease of magnificent proportions, cancer became defined though the term “oncology”, which arose from the Greek word onkos, meaning a mass or a load. In this comprehensive, all-encompassing non-fiction blockbuster, Siddhartha Mukherjee embarks on an extraordinary mission to explore the history and evolution of one of the greatest enemies of humanity-cancer.
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