New book explores extraordinary progress against cancer

Jul 1 2011

A new book looking at the extraordinary progress being made to fight cancer titled Why Millions Survive Cancer has been written by Dr Lauren Pecorino, Principal Lecturer in Cancer Biology at the University of Greenwich.

Cancer affects about one in three people but more and more people are surviving it as a result of dramatic and sometimes little known advances in science and medicine.

Lauren Pecorino explains the science of the disease including how a normal cell becomes a cancer cell. She illustrates the process used in developing new cancer treatments and provides evidence-based recommendations for lifestyle changes that may reduce cancer risk.

Dr Pecorino says: "The idea for the book came from reading feedback about a textbook I had written on cancer biology. It was posted by a cancer survivor who had been driven to reading a university textbook to learn more about the science of cancer. His determination to understand the molecular science of the disease, most likely without any previous specialized knowledge of the subject, was evident and it compelled me to write a book for non-specialists."

In the book, which is published at the end of July, Lauren Pecorino also presents the recent progress in cancer management that results in 28 million cancer survivors  alive in the world today. The idea of cancer prevention is also explored. Cancer screening does not only catch cancer early but it may also prevent specific cancers. Cancer vaccines are another important weapon for cancer prevention.

Lauren, who lost a close friend to leukemia at the age of 18, argues that progress in cancer management can be seen by such statistics as the five year survival rates for childhood cancer which has changed from 65% in the early 1980s to 81% more recently.