Book Review — Emperor of all Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

I found myself reading this book compulsively; every moment I could. This biography of cancer reads like a thriller. Surprising when you consider we have not yet found a true cure for cancer. We are still on the journey. We have found therapies that work with long remissions but there are no guarantees. And yet - I could not put this book down.

History entwined with scientific theory tends to skew towards personalities / events and less science. Not so in this book. From the earliest known records (with ‘no cure’ as answer) to radical surgery, toxic chemotherapy that bring patients to the brink of death to retroviruses, genetic mutations to biochemical pathways - there is no lack of scientific details.

Political movements to urge politicians to fund the war on cancer, compassionate access to trial medicines, lobbying for display of warnings (lung cancer),  identifying prevention measures, role of statistics, palliative care - this tome brings other aspects outside of the lab to light too.

But the tale that holds the most attention is the disease itself. Every time you think the fiercely committed doctors/scientists/chemists/etc. have come up with a cure - the chimera of cancer outwits those who would cure it and show another deadly face. Ultimately cancer cells are our own mutated cells - twisted like an evil twin that does not know when to stop.

Chilling, suspenseful, heartbreaking (children !) and impressively researched it fosters immense respect towards the people involved in this field. And a sober empathy to all those lost within sealed ‘isolation’ sterile rooms; who don’t have the energy to make their friends/well-wishers feel ‘needed’ when they come to visit - so lose them at a time when they possibly need them the most.