If you've ever wondered why people get cancer, you'll find the answers in Jarle Breivik's book Making Sense of Cancer: From Its Evolutionary Origin to Its Societal Impact and the Ultimate Solution. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with cancer, I highly recommend this book.
Breivik, a professor of medicine and a cancer researcher, writes, "Cancer is often associated with death but it is also very much about life. It's about the basic principles of biology, the intricate dynamics of organisms, body and soul, tears and love, culture, politics, and more. Cancer is alive....To make sense of what cancer is and how we get it, we must understand where it comes from."
Breivik contends that the most important risk factor to getting cancer is not environment or genetics but aging and living longer. He writes, "Fewer than 1% of cancer patients are under the age of 20." Living long is a cause of cancer. He writes, "The "harder" we live and the older we get, the greater the chance of getting cancer."
He adds that if we want to understand cancer, we must first recognize that "cancer is not evil," but "a consequence of natural biological processes, and the solution to the problem lies in understanding the underlying causes."
Breivik's conversational and reader-friendly writing style engages the reader. Cancer caregivers and cancer patients alike will appreciate and benefit from this compelling
nine-chapter book with references for further reading.
This book resonates with me. My connection to cancer is twofold. I have been a cancer caregiver to my husband who has survived stage IV colorectal cancer twice with grueling radiation, chemo, and surgeries. And I recently beat breast cancer. It was caught early and successfully treated with a partial mastectomy. I was lucky in that, because it was caught early, I was able to opt out of radiation therapy and endocrine therapy. We were fortunate to have top medical/oncology cancer care teams and treatment.
But in a thought-provoking contention, Breivik opened my eyes a bit wider. He asserts, "Modern medicine is not solving the problem of cancer. On the contrary, medical and technological developments are the cause of the growing cancer epidemic. Our own striving to live as long as possible produces more cancer."
It looks like we're all caught between a rock and a hard place.
After reading Making Sense of Cancer, I now have a greater understanding of why my husband and I got cancer, and why friends and family members have endured the same fate. I had never considered the role of aging. I now know that as we both continue to get older, our cancer might return again, and maybe another type of cancer will rear its ugly head.
Breivik will enlighten you with a new perspective on cancer that you have not given thought to. But some things are certain and remain the same. A cancer diagnosis is overwhelming. For some, treatment is grueling. Some will survive cancer and remain in remission for many years. For others, the cancer will recur. And despite medical and technological advances, others will not survive.
Making Sense of Cancer is a must-read. It will help readers to understand why we get cancer, the role of aging in cancer, cancer treatments, and so much more. Breivik blends biology, evolution, science, medicine, culture, and philosophy to explain and to help us understand the why of cancer and its impact on people and society. It is a fascinating and provocative book on a topic that affects all of us.
To learn more about the book, visit Jarle Breivik's website.
©2024
I am the author of Come What May, I Want to Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times. Jon's cancer journey and my journey as his caregiver are themes in my book. Order it here from Wipf and Stock, Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble. It's available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and Kindle.
Comentários