Cancer: The Evolutionary Legacy | 
 enlarge | Author: Mel Greaves
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
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Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 1315025
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 290
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0192628356
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.994071
EAN: 9780192628350
ASIN: 0192628356
Publication Date: May 25, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Nothing can scare us quite as much as cancer. This disease, striking sometimes sensibly, sometimes arbitrarily, inspires despair and hopelessness to the same extent that its cure eludes us. Cancer researcher Mel Greaves illuminates what we know of its causes and the obstacles to research in Cancer: The Evolutionary Legacy. The subtitle is intriguing, and Greaves backs it up with a detailed examination of the evolutionary biology of cancer cells. It turns out that we can profitably think about cancer as a tool in the struggle for survival and reproduction among all the cells within a body. Losing regulatory genes might be great for reproducing individual cell lines, but in the long run, they are, of course, devastating to the organism as a whole. Greaves's personal, almost chatty style helps the nontechnical reader through some of the complicated immunological and genetic issues, and it also humanizes a topic that can easily overwhelm us with awe. Slipping back a few centuries, he explores the history of cancer and our attitudes toward it, then looks at how it has changed in recent years to become more widespread and better understood. Though Greaves is careful not to promise a cure just around the corner, his experience lends the writing an optimism that most readers will find refreshing. Though we're still at the mercy of this terrible disease, it's good to know we have more than just natural selection on our side. --Rob Lightner
Product Description
Every day, 1500 Americans die of cancer, and yet for most of us this deadly disease remains mysterious. Why is it so common? Why are there so many different causes? Why does treatment so often fail? What, ultimately, is cancer? In this fascinating new book, a leading cancer researcher offers general readers clear and convincing answers to these and many other questions.
Mel Greaves places cancer in its evolutionary context, arguing that we can best answer the big questions about cancer by looking through a Darwinian lens. Drawing on both ancient and more modern evolutionary legacies, he shows how human development has changed the rules of evolutionary games, trapping us in a nature-nurture mismatch. Compelling examples, from the King of Naples intestinal tumor in the 15th century, through the epidemic of scrotal skin cancer in 18th-century chimney sweeps, to the current surge of cases of prostate cancer illustrate his thesis. He also shows why the old paradigms of infectious diseases or genetic disorders have proved fruitless when trying to explain this complex and elusive disease. And finally, he looks at the implications for research, prevention, and treatment of cancer that an evolutionary perspective provides.
Drawing on the most recent research, this is the first book to put cancer in its evolutionary framework. At a time when Darwinian perspectives on everything from language acquisition to economics are providing new breakthroughs in understanding, medicine seems to have much to gain from the insights provided by evolutionary biology. Written in an exceptionally lucid and entertaining style, this book will be of broad interest to all those who wish to know more about this dread disease.
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| Customer Reviews:
Thorough discussion made interesting September 9, 2001
W. Hoffman (Tampa, Florida United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Dr. Greaves does a great job of navigating the myths, evolution, paradoxes, and treatments of cancer. The amazing accomplishment of this author is that he can do all this while keeping the lay person interested, even injecting some humor. What other cancer researcher would first detail the high incidence of cancer of the esophagus in the Hubei province of China, then discuss how that same diet causes cancer in their chickens and end the discussion saying "Not unambiguous evidence maybe, but if I was a chicken, I would ask for a transfer."
All is not lighthearted, of course, in a discussion of cancer. The interesting mosaic which Greaves creates discusses the varied alleged causes of various types of cancer, including social, demographic, economic, dietary, and of course hereditary. He then gives an excellent argument for the prevention rather than cure of cancers. For example, he states that for "every 1,000 young men adopting a life time habit of smoking, on average one will be murdered, six will die in road traffic accidents and 250 will die ot tobacco-related deaths including lung cancer." Sobering statistics for the deadly life decision to keep this habit.
If you have any interest in cancer, read this book. Be prepared to work through some jargon, but with Greaves writing style, you'll enjoy the read.
A new perspective on cancer May 22, 2000
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
Greaves does an excellent job of explaining how evolution applies to cancer. How did cancer survive throughout evolution? How do cancer cells go through a Darwinian process of survival of the fittest? How are some cells resistant to chemotherapy? He answers all of these.He also points out that, contrary to popular opinion, in many cases, it is impossible to point to a single "cause" for a person's cancer. People want to point blame somewhere, but cancer takes a series of DNA mutations to get going in a cell. This may happen over a lifetime of exposure to various things. All in all, very good for anybody who is interested in this topic -- and perhaps even if you don't think you are.
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