The true story of the war on cancer from one of its generals
Cancer touches everybody's life in one way or another. But most of us
know very little about how the disease works, why we treat it the way we
do, and the personalities whose dedication got us where we are today.
For fifty years, Dr. Vincent T. DeVita Jr. has been one of those key
players: He has held just about every major position in the field, and
he developed the first successful chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's
lymphoma. As one of oncology's leading figures, DeVita knows what cancer
looks like from the lab bench and the bedside. The Death of Cancer is
his illuminating and deeply personal look at the science and the history
of one of the world's most formidable diseases. In his hands, even the
most complex medical concepts are comprehensible.
Cowritten with his daughter, the science writer Elizabeth
DeVita-Raeburn, The Death of Cancer is also a personal tale about the
false starts and major breakthroughs, the strong-willed oncologists who
clashed with conservative administrators (and one another), and the
courageous patients whose willingness to test cutting-edge research
helped those oncologists find potential treatments.
With historical depth and authenticity, DeVita reveals the true story of
the fight against cancer. The Death of Cancer is an ambitious, vital
book about a life-and-death subject that touches us all.