How Cancer Works [Paperback]

Lauren Sompayrac (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0763718211 | ISBN-13: 978-0763718213 | Edition: 1

Lauren Sompayrac explains the basics of cancer: what it is, what it does, and what is being done to try to cure it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.; 1 edition (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763718211
• ISBN-13: 978-0763718213
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cancer Research for Everybody, February 20, 2004

By 

George N. Dessev (CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Cancer Works (Paperback)

Dr. Sompayrac's book is unique in striking the perfect balance between up-to-date scientific accuracy and entertaining presentation. It flows so naturally and is such a fun to read that one tends not to notice its great learning value. I did not put the book down until its last page and then started from the beginning again. I feel that everyone must read this book!

George N. Dessev, Ph.D.
Retired Professor in Cell and Molecular Biology

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well structured review as well as entertaining, December 3, 2006

By 

Guy Smith (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Cancer Works (Paperback)

First, in the interest of full disclosure, I'll note that I am Dr. Sompayrac's cousin. But don't let that dissuade you -- I have no trouble giving a bad review of a work if I think it deserves such (see my review of "What the Anti-Federalists Were For" as an example).

Like his previous work "How Pathogenic Viruses Work", Lauren has done a very good job is tacking a complex science and distilling it into a very readable book. His approach to the topic (breaking down normal and abnormal cell division, how DNA mutations arise, relating the multiple mutations required for malignancy, etc.) make the topic understandable to even laymen (which I am one).

For non-professionals seeking to understand cancer (and we all know or loved someone who has had it), this book brings a great deal of perspective. Lauren lists common forms of cancer (leukemia, breast/prostate, lung, etc.) in ways that help us understand the differences in types of cancers, how they may be caused, and why cures are difficult to architect.

Though not as entertaining as his "virus" book (which was more interesting due to the nearly endless variety of viruses and their survival mechanisms), his "cancer" book was equally well thought-out, and almost as well written.

I would recommend this work for two audiences: pre-med students and those considering a career in medicine, and laymen who are hungry for knowledge about cancer. If you survived high school biology and genetics-101, very little of this book will be over your head.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understable and accessible cancer research, April 28, 2006

By 

M. Pumar "blitz" (Barcelona, Barcelona Spain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Cancer Works (Paperback)

Excellent book. It provides an overview of the latest advances on cancer research trying to explain its very complex nature. It does so in a clear and direct way. It is amazing how a deep book on such a complex subject can be made so easy to read.

The concepts are explained step by step. The most representative cancers are throughly explained for the layman.