The scourge of cancer has ripped through bodies, families, and generations for so long and with such power that it feels almost invincible. But biologist Paul Ewald - widely regarded as the leading expert in the emerging field of evolutionary medicine - and co-author Holly Swain Ewald may have found a way of attacking the intractable killer, which they detail here. The Ewalds believe that viruses are at the heart of the onset of cancer and we can attack the disease through an early attack on the virus. In this important study, they form an innovative plan for rethinking and eradicating one of the world’s deadliest diseases.
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Amazon.com Review
Can you catch cancer? The answer may surprise you. In the latest Kindle Single from TED books, two leading biologists argue that you can catch cancer--but what could they possibly be talking about? First, the facts: If you're a man, your chances of developing cancer in your lifetime are almost 1 in 2. For women, it's 1 in 3. This year, the United States will spend $125 billion on cancer treatments, making cancer costly in both dollars and lives. TED authors Paul and Holly Ewald want to change all that, and they want to do it through prevention. There is no doubt that cancer is caused by mutating cells, but the authors ask, what are the causes of those mutations? In some of the most deadly types of cancer--stomach, liver, cervical--communicable diseases are the primary causes. Reduce hepatitis B and C and you reduce liver cancer. Stop HPV and you stop cervical cancer. Rather than promoting chemotherapy, which they call "a high stakes gamble" (albeit a lucrative one), the authors call for a framework of knowledge to help us better understand the interplay between humans, cancer-causing diseases, and cancer. It could lead to a world where, rather than treating cancer, doctors can simply and cheaply prevent it. --Chris Scluep
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Despite all the research, all the money spent, the time invested, new technology available - despite all that - the death rate from cancer has declined by not so much - by about eight percent - in the past three decades.
Yet the cost of cancer treatment continues to rise. Treating a patient with breast cancer for a year costs about $100,000, for stomach cancer $200,000 and for brain cancer $300,000. Those are the cold, hard numbers.
In this TED essay, Paul Ewald and Holly Swain Ewald contend the conventional wisdom about the cause of cancer is wrong, dead wrong and the key to conquering the scourge once and for all may be to treat the disease as we have learned to treat infectious illnesses such as polio or tuberculosis.
You might call their assertion the "Germ Theory" of what causes cancer. And if you ascribe to their theory, the conventional treatment is to attack some forms of cancer as you would other infectious disease with therapeutic vaccines.
That approach would shift the focus from treatment to prevention - the vaccine that fights off the human papillomavirus is an example - but guess what, the authors say that drug companies know all too well that they make more money on treating disease than preventing it. Holy, cow, that's really taking a cynical view of things but the authors contend money is an undeniable and important factor in how we attack disease.
In discussing their thesis the Ewalds give us strong evidence that therapeutic vaccines have been saving many lives in treating some cancers. One is stomach cancer. They point out that a relatively simple antibiotic treatment is highly effective in preventing and sending straight into remission two different types of stomach cancer.... Read more ›
Yet the cost of cancer treatment continues to rise. Treating a patient with breast cancer for a year costs about $100,000, for stomach cancer $200,000 and for brain cancer $300,000. Those are the cold, hard numbers.
In this TED essay, Paul Ewald and Holly Swain Ewald contend the conventional wisdom about the cause of cancer is wrong, dead wrong and the key to conquering the scourge once and for all may be to treat the disease as we have learned to treat infectious illnesses such as polio or tuberculosis.
You might call their assertion the "Germ Theory" of what causes cancer. And if you ascribe to their theory, the conventional treatment is to attack some forms of cancer as you would other infectious disease with therapeutic vaccines.
That approach would shift the focus from treatment to prevention - the vaccine that fights off the human papillomavirus is an example - but guess what, the authors say that drug companies know all too well that they make more money on treating disease than preventing it. Holy, cow, that's really taking a cynical view of things but the authors contend money is an undeniable and important factor in how we attack disease.
In discussing their thesis the Ewalds give us strong evidence that therapeutic vaccines have been saving many lives in treating some cancers. One is stomach cancer. They point out that a relatively simple antibiotic treatment is highly effective in preventing and sending straight into remission two different types of stomach cancer.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Mec
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The authors present a novel and attention-worth hypothesis that infectious viruses cause more cancers than conventional wisdom credits them for.
It's a solid, well-argued work. They mention some oncoviruses that are already accepted by CW including the original Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus, and some hepatitus viruses. From there, they adduce that there are more virus-cancer causal links.
However, just from reading this Single, it's impossible to judge whether their new hypothesis is a wild-eyed pet idea or the next big thing. I'll have to wait for a respectable science reporter to cover the story. Meanwhile, though, the Single format is excellent for this: a small but concentrated blast direct from the primary source. I want 100 more Singles like this!
Unlike other reviewers, I welcomed the cover-to-cover analytic tone. This Single has nothing to say about living with cancer or supporting a relative with cancer. You'll have to turn to other works for that. This Single has everything to say about charting a research direction that may (or may not) save people from developing cancer or even cure people who are diagnosed early enough. That project is immense and will take all the analysis in the world.
It's a solid, well-argued work. They mention some oncoviruses that are already accepted by CW including the original Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus, and some hepatitus viruses. From there, they adduce that there are more virus-cancer causal links.
However, just from reading this Single, it's impossible to judge whether their new hypothesis is a wild-eyed pet idea or the next big thing. I'll have to wait for a respectable science reporter to cover the story. Meanwhile, though, the Single format is excellent for this: a small but concentrated blast direct from the primary source. I want 100 more Singles like this!
Unlike other reviewers, I welcomed the cover-to-cover analytic tone. This Single has nothing to say about living with cancer or supporting a relative with cancer. You'll have to turn to other works for that. This Single has everything to say about charting a research direction that may (or may not) save people from developing cancer or even cure people who are diagnosed early enough. That project is immense and will take all the analysis in the world.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
what every doctor specially oncologist should read! as a wife of a cancer survivor i find these findings extremely interesting, useful and feel compelled to share this book with all my doctors, friends, family and so on! Cancer is feared mainly because is not understood and taken as a face value dead sentence from our sometimes not too updated doctors. Knowledge is power and in a world where 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will get cancer how can we keep ignoring these medical defeat! No meaningful improving in survival rates for decades!!! We patients need to take responsibility for educating ourselves and our doctors! This book will help you understand cancer from a different point of view.
By Ryan Dowell
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The concepts here are definitely something to keep in mind. The author does make some leaps past what is currently recognized as accurate data, but that's kind of the point behind a TED talk. The book was fairly engaging and provides some interesting points not commonly hit upon if you are ever discussing cancer in class.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
How can anyone resist reading an article with this title? Isn't cancer one of the things most of us fear most? Isn't information a good thing to have, especially if it's considered cutting-edge (or even if it's considered over the top)? Control cancer? Really? How could I not read this.
The authors of Controlling Cancer do offer a lot of interesting information and their views are refreshing and shine a light on things that most of us are unaware of and do clearly state their case. However, the writing is so dry and, well, you can certainly tell it isn't written by everyday people. Too analytical and I personally could've done with a lot fewer statistics. This is just not an easy read. Still, the idea of controlling cancer by treating it as any other infectious disease such as TB is certainly an interesting one. I hope to live long enough to see how this thinking plays out in the medical community, if it can make a real difference and get cancer rates down.
I feel it is an important read. I believe I owe it to myself, and those near and dear to me, to have as much information on the subject of cancer as possible. I am glad I read it and would recommend it, dryly written as it is, to anyone interested in cancer and its myriad treatments and a new manner of thinking about it. I will have to say it made me think, and that's always a good thing for me.
The authors of Controlling Cancer do offer a lot of interesting information and their views are refreshing and shine a light on things that most of us are unaware of and do clearly state their case. However, the writing is so dry and, well, you can certainly tell it isn't written by everyday people. Too analytical and I personally could've done with a lot fewer statistics. This is just not an easy read. Still, the idea of controlling cancer by treating it as any other infectious disease such as TB is certainly an interesting one. I hope to live long enough to see how this thinking plays out in the medical community, if it can make a real difference and get cancer rates down.
I feel it is an important read. I believe I owe it to myself, and those near and dear to me, to have as much information on the subject of cancer as possible. I am glad I read it and would recommend it, dryly written as it is, to anyone interested in cancer and its myriad treatments and a new manner of thinking about it. I will have to say it made me think, and that's always a good thing for me.
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