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The Cancer Chronicles by George Johnson
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The Cancer Chronicles

Unlocking Medicine's Deepest Mystery
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Narrator Arthur Morey

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Length 8 hours 18 minutes
Language English
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When the woman he loved was diagnosed with a metastatic cancer, science-writer George Johnson embarked on a journey to learn everything he could about the disease and the people who dedicate their lives to understanding and combating it. What he discovered is that a revolution is now under way โ€“ an explosion of new ideas about what cancer really is and where it comes from.

He combs through the realms of epidemiology, clinical trials, laboratory experiments and scientific hypotheses, to reveal what we know and donโ€™t know about cancer, showing why a cure remains such a slippery concept. His luminous accounts describe tumors that evolve like alien creatures inside the body, paleo-oncologists who uncover petrified tumors clinging to the skeletons of dinosaurs and ancient human ancestors, and the surprising reversals in scienceโ€™s comprehension of the causes of cancer, with the foods we eat and environmental toxins playing a lesser role. Perhaps most fascinating of all is how cancer borrows natural processes involved in the healing of a wound or the unfolding of a human embryo and turns them against the body.

Throughout his pursuit, Johnson illuminates the human experience with elegiac grace, bearing witness to the punishing gauntlet of consultations, surgeries, targeted therapies and other treatments. Provocative and intellectually vibrant, The Cancer Chronicles will challenge everything you thought you knew about the disease โ€“ and provide hope for tomorrow and the future.

GEORGE JOHNSON writes regularly about science for the New York Times. He has also written for National Geographic, Slate, Discover, Scientific American, Wired, and The Atlantic, and his work has been included in The Best American Science Writing. A former Alicia Patterson fellow, he has received awards from PEN and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and his books were twice finalists for the Royal Societyโ€™s book prize. He appears regularly on โ€œScience Factionโ€ on bloggingheads.tv and writes the blog โ€œFire in the Mindโ€ for Discover. He lives in Santa Fe.

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Reviews

Rich and sweeping...this is a book for anyone whose life has been touched by cancer, which is just about everyone Compact, elegant...gripping... Everyone who is concerned about cancer โ€“ that is every thinking adult โ€“ should read The Cancer Chronicles A highly captivating book that meticulously explains the current scientific understanding of cancer A fascinating compilation of selected discoveries in cancer research that helped shape his deeper understanding of the disease process Johnson elegantly tells a fascinating chronological tale of cancer Expand reviews
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