Transformed Cell [Paperback]

Various (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0380721155 | ISBN-13: 978-0380721153 | Publication Date: November 1, 1993

Rosenberg's quest to unlock the secrets of cancer began when a patient's inoperable cancer mysteriously reversed itself--and his untiring efforts finally paid off: in recent years he has made headlines around the world for pioneering treatments that have proven to prolong and save lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute, details the years of clinical and laboratory research that led to his developing the controversial cancer therapy using interleukin-2 (IL-2), a protein produced by the human immune system and synthesized in the lab. Treatment involves withdrawing a patient's cancer-killing white blood cells, mixing them with immune-activating IL-2 and injecting the mixture back into the body. Publicized by the medical establishment and the media as a breakthrough, IL-2 has, as Rosenberg notes here, severe side effects and cures only a minority of patients afflicted with only a few kinds of cancer. In addition, two critics of the medical establishment, Jane Heimlich ( What Your Doctor Won't Tell You ) and Ralph Moss ( The Cancer Industry ), have pointed out that IL-2 is prohibitively expensive and that treatment with it may require many weeks of hospitalization. Rosenberg also discusses his work on gene therapy, an experimental modality in which genetically altered white blood cells are reinserted in the cancer patient's bloodstream to attack the tumor. One feels that he overstates the promise of both types of treatment. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this exciting book, Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute and author of dozens of books and papers on cancer, uses his own experience of seeking new treatments for cancer patients to explain how scientists conduct medical research. Telling of the scientific dream to use the body's immune system to cure cancer, he discusses how the past decade has witnessed the attempt to treat cancer by manipulating natural host biologic functions using recombinant DNA technology, interleukin-2, interferon, and colony-stimulating factors. Using engrossing case histories, Rosenberg, a caring and sensitive expert, shares with his readers the agonizing successes and failures of advanced therapies that promise to join surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy as a fourth major treatment approach for cancer patients. Highly recommended.
- James Swanton, Albert Einstein Coll. of Medicine, New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380721155
• ISBN-13: 978-0380721153
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Look at Cancer and Scientific Research, May 17, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Transformed Cell (Paperback)

For those interested in understanding more about cancer and the vagaries of scientific research and FDA approval, this book provides non-fiction as interesting as fiction. The book chronicles the journey and work of the author, a brilliant, driven scientist as he explores a radical new treament methodology for cancer, immunotherapy. His incision of the topic into understandable questions to be answered, and the research process to answer them makes the book a fascinating mystery. The reader learns to root for the scientist, his hard-working team, and the immune cells that fight cancer. Along the way, you learn about cancer, its causes, and alot of the associated terminology. Educational and entertaining.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars and I grade hard, April 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Transformed Cell (Paperback)

I read this book for an odd reason: I was looking for anything written by John Barry, whose absolutely brilliant book, Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America, completely captivated me. He's only the ghost-writer this time, and this book may not be quite as good as his own, but it's still an amazing story of guts and determination. The reader comes away from this book with new respect for the guts and determination to the point of obsessiveness of both medical researchers and patients who participate in test programs. Along the way of a story as suspenseful as any murder mystery, one gets and understanding of immunology, molecular biology, and cancer. Barry's other book may change the way you think. This one won't exactly do thast, but it will open an entire world to you.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful effort of a scientist, a saint and a philosopher, November 25, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Transformed Cell (Paperback)

An account of the dedicated, honest and intelligent efforts to solve one of the most complicated of problems of medical science today, as described in "The Transformed Cell", makes one feel confidant that with scientists like Prof. Rosenberg around us, the solution to such problems is not very far. I'm only looking for the sequel to this masterpiece with a title "...And the Solution to it!". sanjay upreti, NY