The Emperor of All Maladies

This groundbreaking book is a comprehensive, vividly narrated, and deeply scientifically substantiated history of the relationship between humanity and cancer, against the backdrop of personal stories of the war against the "king of all diseases." Leading the reader through the changing perceptions of this disease in different eras, treatment methods, milestones in understanding its mechanisms, and conflicts of interest surrounding it, the author reveals the reasons for the limitations of victories over it and outlines realistic contours of coexistence with it in the future. The eternal dreams of a magic pill against cancer on the pages of the book are countered by an enemy so insidious because it too closely resembles distorted reflections of ourselves in its biological perfection.