What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cancer Code: A Revolutionary New Understanding of a Medical Mystery
Our understanding of cancer is slowly undergoing a revolution, allowing for the development of more effective treatments. For the first time ever, the death rate from cancer is showing a steady decline … but the ‘War on Cancer’ has hardly been won.
In The Cancer Code, Dr Jason Fung offers a revolutionary new understanding of this invasive, often fatal disease – what it is, how it manifests and why it is so challenging to treat. In this rousing narrative, Dr Fung identifies the medical community’s many missteps in cancer research – in particular, its focus on genetics, or what he terms the ‘seed’ of cancer, at the expense of examining the ‘soil,’ or the conditions under which cancer flourishes. Dr Fung – whose ground-breaking work in the treatment of obesity and diabetes has won him international acclaim – suggests that the primary disease pathway of cancer is caused by the dysregulation of insulin. In fact, obesity and type 2 diabetes significantly increase an individual’s risk of cancer.
In this accessible read, Dr Fung provides a new paradigm for dealing with cancer, with recommendations for what we can do to create a hostile soil for this dangerous seed. One such strategy is intermittent fasting, which reduces blood glucose, lowering insulin levels. Another, eliminating intake of insulin-stimulating foods, such as sugar and refined carbohydrates.
For hundreds of years, cancer has been portrayed as a foreign invader we’ve been powerless to stop. By reshaping our view of cancer as an internal uprising of our own healthy cells, we can begin to take back control. The seed of cancer may exist in all of us, but the power to change the soil is in our hands.
In The Cancer Code, Dr Jason Fung offers a revolutionary new understanding of this invasive, often fatal disease – what it is, how it manifests and why it is so challenging to treat. In this rousing narrative, Dr Fung identifies the medical community’s many missteps in cancer research – in particular, its focus on genetics, or what he terms the ‘seed’ of cancer, at the expense of examining the ‘soil,’ or the conditions under which cancer flourishes. Dr Fung – whose ground-breaking work in the treatment of obesity and diabetes has won him international acclaim – suggests that the primary disease pathway of cancer is caused by the dysregulation of insulin. In fact, obesity and type 2 diabetes significantly increase an individual’s risk of cancer.
In this accessible read, Dr Fung provides a new paradigm for dealing with cancer, with recommendations for what we can do to create a hostile soil for this dangerous seed. One such strategy is intermittent fasting, which reduces blood glucose, lowering insulin levels. Another, eliminating intake of insulin-stimulating foods, such as sugar and refined carbohydrates.
For hundreds of years, cancer has been portrayed as a foreign invader we’ve been powerless to stop. By reshaping our view of cancer as an internal uprising of our own healthy cells, we can begin to take back control. The seed of cancer may exist in all of us, but the power to change the soil is in our hands.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2020
1102 people are currently reading
4290 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews
January 16, 2021
Two years ago I read The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, and while the book was fascinating and elegantly written it was also a difficult read with some complicated science thrown in.
This book is lot more updated than The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (seeing that there is a decade between the two books) and although still full of complex concepts it’s a lot more readable than the first book.
It also tackles some cancer myths we have all come across.
Cancer is caused by cell mutation, right?
Well yes and no.
Comparing cell mutation, non-cancerous people over 80% have as much and sometimes even more cell mutation than cancer patients. Holy C**@ why do we all not have cancer?
And Cancer is caused by genetics, right?
Well yes and no.
Only about 25% of cancers are down to genetics the rest is environmental, and diet related.
There are constantly headlines about wonder drugs to fight cancer, so we have been making progress with cancer treatments, right?
Well yes and no.
Most of these wonder drugs reduce tumour growth, it does not reduce the spread of cancer. And when you have cancer you want to avoid metastasis not tumour size. So, these new wonder drugs are like fancy new band aids on a bullet wound.
There is also a sickening chapter on pharmaceuticals and price gouging/fixing. It truly makes you nauseated when a drug that cost $216 a year to manufacture gets sold at $120,000 a year to desperate cancer patients. Let’s kick a man when he is down, why don’t we.
But there is also some hope, there are a few chapters towards the end of the book that talks about new treatments like immunotherapy and how much of an impact your diet has on your chances of developing cancer in the first place.
This is a book that will leave you with an excellent understanding of cancer, treatment, developments and all the contributing factors that makes this disease one of the biggest killers on the planet.
This book is lot more updated than The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (seeing that there is a decade between the two books) and although still full of complex concepts it’s a lot more readable than the first book.
It also tackles some cancer myths we have all come across.
Cancer is caused by cell mutation, right?
Well yes and no.
Comparing cell mutation, non-cancerous people over 80% have as much and sometimes even more cell mutation than cancer patients. Holy C**@ why do we all not have cancer?
And Cancer is caused by genetics, right?
Well yes and no.
Only about 25% of cancers are down to genetics the rest is environmental, and diet related.
There are constantly headlines about wonder drugs to fight cancer, so we have been making progress with cancer treatments, right?
Well yes and no.
Most of these wonder drugs reduce tumour growth, it does not reduce the spread of cancer. And when you have cancer you want to avoid metastasis not tumour size. So, these new wonder drugs are like fancy new band aids on a bullet wound.
There is also a sickening chapter on pharmaceuticals and price gouging/fixing. It truly makes you nauseated when a drug that cost $216 a year to manufacture gets sold at $120,000 a year to desperate cancer patients. Let’s kick a man when he is down, why don’t we.
But there is also some hope, there are a few chapters towards the end of the book that talks about new treatments like immunotherapy and how much of an impact your diet has on your chances of developing cancer in the first place.
This is a book that will leave you with an excellent understanding of cancer, treatment, developments and all the contributing factors that makes this disease one of the biggest killers on the planet.
November 15, 2020
Dr. Jason Fung goes on a deeper dive with this, his third “Code” book. This time he travels a slightly different path than his previous books, taking he readers on an interesting, detailed journey into the history and rational of the many treatments for cancer, explaining where we came from and where we are going with regards to this terrible disease.
Along the way he covers the familiar questions: What causes it? How does it develop? What makes it progress? What are the old and new treatments? Alas, finally coming to the one we need to understand now, before we can more forward: Do we understand it at its core?
In getting to its core, he reacquaints us with an old nemesis - hyperinsulinemia. For insulin is not just limited to our blood sugar levels, but plays a significant role in cell growth. He reveals for the last ten years we have been in another paradigm shift, now giving us the theory of evolution and a new turn of “seed” and “soil” concept. So, we get to ask ourselves a more critical question: How do our nutrition and environment, as well as how frequency we eat, affect not only our insulin levels and obesity, but our risk of cancer?
I love Dr. Fung’s lack of adherence to traditional “scientific beliefs” and his willingness to look beyond scientific studies, while gaining insight from them. There are some nice diagrams and explanatory charts and a detailed “Notes” section of all referenced research articles at the back of the book. While he speaks easily to the layperson, I’m sure he’ll also hold the scientific and medical communities equally fascinated.
And best of all, as always, in the end he gives us hope. ❤
Along the way he covers the familiar questions: What causes it? How does it develop? What makes it progress? What are the old and new treatments? Alas, finally coming to the one we need to understand now, before we can more forward: Do we understand it at its core?
In getting to its core, he reacquaints us with an old nemesis - hyperinsulinemia. For insulin is not just limited to our blood sugar levels, but plays a significant role in cell growth. He reveals for the last ten years we have been in another paradigm shift, now giving us the theory of evolution and a new turn of “seed” and “soil” concept. So, we get to ask ourselves a more critical question: How do our nutrition and environment, as well as how frequency we eat, affect not only our insulin levels and obesity, but our risk of cancer?
I love Dr. Fung’s lack of adherence to traditional “scientific beliefs” and his willingness to look beyond scientific studies, while gaining insight from them. There are some nice diagrams and explanatory charts and a detailed “Notes” section of all referenced research articles at the back of the book. While he speaks easily to the layperson, I’m sure he’ll also hold the scientific and medical communities equally fascinated.
And best of all, as always, in the end he gives us hope. ❤
October 31, 2020
For fans of Jason Fung’s previous books, THE CANCER CODE offers a far more academic and serious turn towards the history of science and medicine. He takes readers through a carefully charted course explaining the various theories and approaches regarding the etiology and treatment of cancer across the ages. It is both startling, discouraging and heartening. Unlike his other books, this one does not leave readers with a series of steps to undertake to alter their lives. Rather, it is meant to educate and inform and it does that exceedingly well. Fung has become an exceptional author in health and wellness. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
January 17, 2021
Reads like a science thriller. Jason Fung has such an excellent command of both the science behind cancer and the stylistic underpinnings that make a non-fiction text flow, he's made me giddy reading about one of the most horrendous soul-crushing afflictions of our times. Dialectical materialism, if it means anything, is thinking in terms of systems, levels, contingency and necessity, history and stages. The Cancer Code, read through this lense, is a wonderfully stimulating exercise not just in specialist science but in the philosophy of development generally (see Marx's Ecology: Materialism and Nature and Guillaume Suing).
Despite the cringy subtitle and marketable concept (Fung has earlier published The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss and The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally), The Cancer Code is a very down-to-earth and cautious retelling of the history of cancer, both the evolution of the paradigms through which we see it and the history of the disease itself. This breaks down into three stages. Cancer, which has shown up all throughout history and in basically every multicellular organism, was first conceived of as a problem of growth: imbalances in the body were said to cause a proliferation of useless body mass. The cure was to reverse it: cut out the tumours, irradiate the tainted areas, combat growth with reduction. Unfortunately, the cure oftentimes proved to be equally fatal to the disease, with many early-modern patients losing whole chunks of their body and even full limbs, itself not a good idea in an era before surgical hygiene, but more importantly, not stemming the growth of cancer elsewhere in the body. Apparently, cancer couldn't be reduced to its most visible physical manifestations, and tackling it head-on wasn't worth it.
This led to paradigm 2: cancer as a problem of genetics. In the mid 20th century, with the genetic revolution well underway ánd with a massive increase of cancer deaths in the US (the consequence of asbestos, smoking, and various other irritants, shamefully kept under a lid by business interests), there was great enthusiasm to "unlock" cancer genetically and pull it out by the root. Cancer cells were mapped genetically, carcinogenic substances listed, libraries filled with raw data. This lead to the development of certain treatments that were almost a 100% successful, in the case of very specific cancers, and others which still dominate the scene (such as chemotherapy). Asbestos and nicotine-related cancers receded, though this was a case of prevention, not medicine. However, the incidence obesity- and diabetes-related cancers was accelerating, and chemo is still a relatively primitive countermeasure that only works if the disease hasn't progressed past a certain stage. Metastasis in particular, the spreading of cancer throughout the body into different organs, is a nightmare for modern medicine to tackle. Research produced vast bodies of data, but doctors found they had little use for much of it. Fung helpfully compares it to trying to understand traffic jams by taking apart every car stuck in it: you'll get a lot of data that is correct and verifiable, but it doesn't help you understand the overarching pattern, much less manipulate it.
Which brings us to the current paradigm, guiding cancer research since the last two decades: the evolutionary/ecological view. Drawing on the understanding that cancer can develop in nearly every cell, in every multicellular organism, research moved away from identifying the genetic information that makes it possible for cancer to develop (which, as it turns out, is a frightfully great amount - the question is more why more people don't get cancer, rather than why some do), and instead focused on the circumstances that "activate" cancer cells. Essentially, the "epigenetic" turn translated into oncology. This was my favourite part of the book; it maps very convincingly onto Evolution: la preuve par Marx. Dépasser la légende noire de Lyssenko, a dialectical materialist history of evolutionary biology, and confirmed much of the framework it proposes. Fung zooms in on cancer as a micro-level evolutionary challenge: the struggle for life on a cellular scale. All life started as primitive unicellular organisms governed by a very crude survival mechanism: consume and spread. The challenge of retaining integrity was solved through brute force: spawn as many identical cells as possible, and hope enough survive. Some (like yeast) thrive in this manner, although their capacity for adaptation is necessarily limited. Multicellular organisms were much more complex, required more energy to sustain themselves, and were (because of their internal differentiation) more vulnerable in some ways. They eventually dominated the scene, however, because evolution guided their cells to prioritize life at the level of the organism over that of the individual cell: cells co-operated instead of engaging in blind, frantic competition. For people familiar with Guillaume Suing's books, this is very recognizeable. All "stuff" making up unicellular life is still present in every cell of a complex organism; however, it's tightly reigned in by the overarching biological imperatives. Organs stop growing after a certain size has been attained, antibodies don't attack healthy cells nilly-willy, the body breaks down cells in an orderly fashion ("apoptosis", cell death) instead of fighting them whenever.
According to paradigm three, cancer is what happens when individual cells stop behaving in this pattern. Micro-evolutionary pressures (what he calls "chronic sub-lethal damage") break down cells enough for their hard-wired life cycles to derail, and their unicellular survival mechanisms to kick in again, but it doesn't ruin them enough for the body to automatically cleanse them. The complete explanation is much more detailed and endlessly fascinating and goes deep into the metabolic games cancer plays, you'll have to read the book for that. This paradigm, however, makes cancer a much more rational being, and explains why cures hitherto haven't cut it. If cancer is already spreading (and Fung stresses that metastasis is often the beginning rather than the culmination of cancer), the cause must be sought not in the cells themselves (as most cells can turn cancerous), but rather in the ecological circumstances that provoke it. Advanced cancer must be combated not only by dealing with its most prominent manifestations (which does have its benefits, but which is unlikely to remain the prime cure in a few decades from now) but by stimulating the body in such a way that it can aggressively purge itself of defective cells. This has as an advantage that the solution is 'universal' (our immune system covers our entire mass, just as the circumstances that stimulate cancer can circulate throughout our entire body, while 'external' cures can't afford to target every cell) and remains one step ahead of the disease, as opposed to fighting it at its strongest point (relentless growth and mutations).
Fung keeps his feet on the ground and warns readers not to trust superfoods or diets that promise to "raise" your natural cancer resistance -- as cancer's growth is governed by the same mechanisms that cause human growth, insulin and glucose (the stuff that signals your body to grow), feeding yourself means feeding the disease. Indeed, taking vitamins will in many cases even privilege carcinogens over the immune system it's supposed to stimulate. Instead, he advocates for a general healthy lifestyle, avoiding chronic irritants generally, avoiding obesity and, with it, diabetes. Fascinatingly, he advocates intermittent fasting: depriving your body of sustenance every now and then causes it to become more selective with the cells it sustains, raises the bar for defective ones, and can break down asocial cells before they become an active menace.
I'm gonna refrain from typing more, if you're still reading you should just get the book tbh. Wonderful read by a great storyteller. Engels would have been delighted.
Despite the cringy subtitle and marketable concept (Fung has earlier published The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss and The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally), The Cancer Code is a very down-to-earth and cautious retelling of the history of cancer, both the evolution of the paradigms through which we see it and the history of the disease itself. This breaks down into three stages. Cancer, which has shown up all throughout history and in basically every multicellular organism, was first conceived of as a problem of growth: imbalances in the body were said to cause a proliferation of useless body mass. The cure was to reverse it: cut out the tumours, irradiate the tainted areas, combat growth with reduction. Unfortunately, the cure oftentimes proved to be equally fatal to the disease, with many early-modern patients losing whole chunks of their body and even full limbs, itself not a good idea in an era before surgical hygiene, but more importantly, not stemming the growth of cancer elsewhere in the body. Apparently, cancer couldn't be reduced to its most visible physical manifestations, and tackling it head-on wasn't worth it.
This led to paradigm 2: cancer as a problem of genetics. In the mid 20th century, with the genetic revolution well underway ánd with a massive increase of cancer deaths in the US (the consequence of asbestos, smoking, and various other irritants, shamefully kept under a lid by business interests), there was great enthusiasm to "unlock" cancer genetically and pull it out by the root. Cancer cells were mapped genetically, carcinogenic substances listed, libraries filled with raw data. This lead to the development of certain treatments that were almost a 100% successful, in the case of very specific cancers, and others which still dominate the scene (such as chemotherapy). Asbestos and nicotine-related cancers receded, though this was a case of prevention, not medicine. However, the incidence obesity- and diabetes-related cancers was accelerating, and chemo is still a relatively primitive countermeasure that only works if the disease hasn't progressed past a certain stage. Metastasis in particular, the spreading of cancer throughout the body into different organs, is a nightmare for modern medicine to tackle. Research produced vast bodies of data, but doctors found they had little use for much of it. Fung helpfully compares it to trying to understand traffic jams by taking apart every car stuck in it: you'll get a lot of data that is correct and verifiable, but it doesn't help you understand the overarching pattern, much less manipulate it.
Which brings us to the current paradigm, guiding cancer research since the last two decades: the evolutionary/ecological view. Drawing on the understanding that cancer can develop in nearly every cell, in every multicellular organism, research moved away from identifying the genetic information that makes it possible for cancer to develop (which, as it turns out, is a frightfully great amount - the question is more why more people don't get cancer, rather than why some do), and instead focused on the circumstances that "activate" cancer cells. Essentially, the "epigenetic" turn translated into oncology. This was my favourite part of the book; it maps very convincingly onto Evolution: la preuve par Marx. Dépasser la légende noire de Lyssenko, a dialectical materialist history of evolutionary biology, and confirmed much of the framework it proposes. Fung zooms in on cancer as a micro-level evolutionary challenge: the struggle for life on a cellular scale. All life started as primitive unicellular organisms governed by a very crude survival mechanism: consume and spread. The challenge of retaining integrity was solved through brute force: spawn as many identical cells as possible, and hope enough survive. Some (like yeast) thrive in this manner, although their capacity for adaptation is necessarily limited. Multicellular organisms were much more complex, required more energy to sustain themselves, and were (because of their internal differentiation) more vulnerable in some ways. They eventually dominated the scene, however, because evolution guided their cells to prioritize life at the level of the organism over that of the individual cell: cells co-operated instead of engaging in blind, frantic competition. For people familiar with Guillaume Suing's books, this is very recognizeable. All "stuff" making up unicellular life is still present in every cell of a complex organism; however, it's tightly reigned in by the overarching biological imperatives. Organs stop growing after a certain size has been attained, antibodies don't attack healthy cells nilly-willy, the body breaks down cells in an orderly fashion ("apoptosis", cell death) instead of fighting them whenever.
According to paradigm three, cancer is what happens when individual cells stop behaving in this pattern. Micro-evolutionary pressures (what he calls "chronic sub-lethal damage") break down cells enough for their hard-wired life cycles to derail, and their unicellular survival mechanisms to kick in again, but it doesn't ruin them enough for the body to automatically cleanse them. The complete explanation is much more detailed and endlessly fascinating and goes deep into the metabolic games cancer plays, you'll have to read the book for that. This paradigm, however, makes cancer a much more rational being, and explains why cures hitherto haven't cut it. If cancer is already spreading (and Fung stresses that metastasis is often the beginning rather than the culmination of cancer), the cause must be sought not in the cells themselves (as most cells can turn cancerous), but rather in the ecological circumstances that provoke it. Advanced cancer must be combated not only by dealing with its most prominent manifestations (which does have its benefits, but which is unlikely to remain the prime cure in a few decades from now) but by stimulating the body in such a way that it can aggressively purge itself of defective cells. This has as an advantage that the solution is 'universal' (our immune system covers our entire mass, just as the circumstances that stimulate cancer can circulate throughout our entire body, while 'external' cures can't afford to target every cell) and remains one step ahead of the disease, as opposed to fighting it at its strongest point (relentless growth and mutations).
Fung keeps his feet on the ground and warns readers not to trust superfoods or diets that promise to "raise" your natural cancer resistance -- as cancer's growth is governed by the same mechanisms that cause human growth, insulin and glucose (the stuff that signals your body to grow), feeding yourself means feeding the disease. Indeed, taking vitamins will in many cases even privilege carcinogens over the immune system it's supposed to stimulate. Instead, he advocates for a general healthy lifestyle, avoiding chronic irritants generally, avoiding obesity and, with it, diabetes. Fascinatingly, he advocates intermittent fasting: depriving your body of sustenance every now and then causes it to become more selective with the cells it sustains, raises the bar for defective ones, and can break down asocial cells before they become an active menace.
I'm gonna refrain from typing more, if you're still reading you should just get the book tbh. Wonderful read by a great storyteller. Engels would have been delighted.
December 4, 2020
I wouldn’t recommend anyone read this book unless you like getting your mind hole blown out. I will probably have to listen to the audiobook or read the physical book 7,000,000 more times before I can actually wrap my head around everything, but it was very intriguing so I may be willing to do that.
December 30, 2020
This book was a summary of our current understanding on cancer. Well written. Main takeaways:
1. Cancer is basically uncontrollable cell growth. Benign tumors are cancerous but don’t grow. Malignant tumors continue growing. This cell growth happens because of accumulated genetic mutations
2. Haeflic limit — human cells can only replicate 40-70 times before stopping. But cancer cells can be replicated indefinitely. The ability to invade other tissues and metastatize is what makes cancer lethal
3. A high level of lymphocytes can really increase risk of them turning into cancer cells
4. Inflammation is a risk for cancer, but many kinds of cancers only develop after many years of chronic inflammation
5. Lowered insulin decreases cancer risk. High insulin is strongly linked to cancer risk. Exogenous insulin also increases cancer risk. Metformin decreases cancer risk, because it decreases need for insulin
6. Normal cells don’t function well in an acidic environment. But cancer cells can. They use anaerobic respiration, and use primarily glucose+glutamine to grow and divide. Acidity gives cancer cells a big survival advantage
7. Calorie restrictive diets have been linked to lower cancer risks in animals, including monkeys. Ditto for intermittent fasting
8. Green tea has early promising signs in reducing cancer risk and has no negative side effects
9. A ramped up immune system, or an infection of the cancer site, can often kill cancer
10. Immunotherapy — activating killer T cells — is the most promising developing treatment against cancer
1. Cancer is basically uncontrollable cell growth. Benign tumors are cancerous but don’t grow. Malignant tumors continue growing. This cell growth happens because of accumulated genetic mutations
2. Haeflic limit — human cells can only replicate 40-70 times before stopping. But cancer cells can be replicated indefinitely. The ability to invade other tissues and metastatize is what makes cancer lethal
3. A high level of lymphocytes can really increase risk of them turning into cancer cells
4. Inflammation is a risk for cancer, but many kinds of cancers only develop after many years of chronic inflammation
5. Lowered insulin decreases cancer risk. High insulin is strongly linked to cancer risk. Exogenous insulin also increases cancer risk. Metformin decreases cancer risk, because it decreases need for insulin
6. Normal cells don’t function well in an acidic environment. But cancer cells can. They use anaerobic respiration, and use primarily glucose+glutamine to grow and divide. Acidity gives cancer cells a big survival advantage
7. Calorie restrictive diets have been linked to lower cancer risks in animals, including monkeys. Ditto for intermittent fasting
8. Green tea has early promising signs in reducing cancer risk and has no negative side effects
9. A ramped up immune system, or an infection of the cancer site, can often kill cancer
10. Immunotherapy — activating killer T cells — is the most promising developing treatment against cancer
March 25, 2021
Talentul lui JF este sa structureze si sa prezinte foarte bine informatia. Asta e important mai ales cand e vorba despre un subiect atat de amplu.
Foarte bun! Merita 6 stele!
Foarte bun! Merita 6 stele!
January 27, 2022
Усім читати!
November 16, 2020
Several months ago I read The Emperor of All Maladies by Dr. Mukherjee, an oncologist who did a good job of delineating the history of cancer and its treatment but certainly didn't stray from the straight and narrow as he concentrated present day treatment on genetics and chemo. Well, it was good enough to win a Pulitzer which says more about the award than his book. Dr. Fung gives a much more nuanced view of cancer. He doesn't have a cure but does spend time discussing current thought on the effects of obesity, type 2 diabetes and diet in general. Fung has also written The Obesity Code and The Diabetes Code so you know what to expect going in. I learned a lot, especially the mistakes that have been made along the way and will definitely reread the book. It's that good.
March 21, 2021
من خلال عملي كطبيب في قسم علاج الأورام، كنت متلهفاً لقراءة الكتاب الذي صدر يوم أمس.
يواصل دكتور فونغ ما مساهمته التي بدأها في كتابين سابيقين من تغيير نظرة المجتمع العلمي والطبي لعدد من الأمراض
فبعد كتابه الأول عن السمنة، ثم كتابه عن مرض السكري النوع الثاني، يأتي هذا الكتاب ليكمل الثلاثية، هذه المرة عن السرطان.
بقدرته العالية على النظر في نتائج الدراسات العلمية، واطلاعه الواسع عليها، وبعدم تمسكه المتعصب ب"المعتقدات العلمية" يسرد دكتور فونغ نماذج ثلاثة تعرّف وتفسّر مرض السرطان من المجتمع العلمي، هذه النماذج على التوالي هي:
النموذج الأول: كانت النظرة المسيطرة فيه أن السرطان مرض النمو اللانهائي ونتج عنها ثلاثة تطبيقات علاجية: إيقاف هذا النمو عن طريق القطع "الجراحة" والحرق "الإشعاع" والتسميم "العلاج الكيميائي". نجح هذا النموذج لفترة لكن سرعان ما أنحسر بسبب التزايد الكبير في عدد الحالات والوفيات حول العالم.
النموذج الثاني: بدأ مع التطور في علم الجينات، واكتشاف الطفرات الجينية في السرطان الواحدة تلو الأخرى، لتكون النتيجة أن السرطان مرض جيني. نتج عنه تطبيقات علاجية مستمرة حتى الآن وهي: التعرُّف على الطفرات الجينية واستهدافها بعلاجات
: موجهّة/ذكية.
وكما حدث في النموذج الأول سرعان ما وجد النموذج الثاني نفسه أمام تحدي لا نهائي، وهو أن الطفرات الجينية في السرطان لا حصر لها، وبالتالي اكتشاف الطفرات الجديدة رحلة لا نهاية قريبة لها. إذ؛اً من غير العملي ولا المنطقي أن نستهدف كل هذه الطفرات بآلاف العلاجات.
النموذج الثالث: وهو النموذج الذي يقترحه دكتور فونغ -ولم يكن هو أول من بدأه-: أن النماذج السابقة للسرطان اختزالية. فكامل التركيز في النموذج الثاني انحصر على الخلية السرطانية وتحديداً طفراتها الجينية، وأغفل ١/ المسارات الاستقلابية بداخلها٢/البيئة التي تنشأ وتنمو وتتحرك وتنتشر فيها الخلية.
هذه النظرة لم تكن جديدة، ولكن كما ذكرت في بداية المراجعة أن دكتور فونغ لديه اطلاع على البحوث العلمية وقدرة على نسج نموذج واحد يضمها. من هنا يعيد استخدام مفهوم: البذرة والتربة، المعروف في تفسير انتشار السرطان في عضو معين دون غيره... لكن السياق الذي استخدم فيه هذا المفهوم هو نظرية التطور.
من هنا يبدأ الكتاب باتخاذ منحنى جديد كلياً: فالسرطان -بسحب هذا النموذج الثالث- هو حالة تطورية بحتة. ولا يمكن فهمه دون فهم تاريخ نشوء الحياة على الأرض وتطورها. فالصفات التي تتميز بها الخلية السرطانية دون غيرها هي صفات الكائنات وحيدة الخلية! وبالتالي تقوم بعملية تقهقر/تراجع تطوري إذا تعرضت لظروف مهددة لبقائها. هذه الظروف تجعل الخلية تنفك عن النسيج في جسم الكائن المتعدد الخلايا وتستقل بذاتها لتمارس سلوك تطوري قديم -بقدم الحياة- وهو سلوك الكائنات وحيدة الخلية في سعيها للبقاء! هذا التمرّد الذي تقوم به الخلية لا يفسره النموذج الثاني الاختزالي.
الظرف المهدد للبقاء يتميز بأنه: جسيم أقرب للقتل، ومستمر لفترة زمنية طويلة. أفضل مثال على ذلك هو سرطان الرئة بمسببه الرئيسي التدخين: فالمواد المسرطنة في السجائر تسبب أذى جسيم -يقترب من قتل خلايا الرئة- ولفترة طويلة من الزمن. لذلك فهو لا يحدث إلا بعد فترة طويلة من التدخين.
الجانب الآخر من هذا الباراديم هو العمليات الاستقلابية داخل الخلية السرطانية. حيث يأتي إلى تفسيره المفضل لمتلازمة الاستقلاب: زيادة مستوى الأنسولين في الدم. فالأنسولين هرمون قديم بقدم الحياة أيضاً، ودوره لا ينحصر بمستوى السكر في الدم -أي بالغذاء- لكن لديه دور في النمو. العديد من الخلايا السرطانية ينشط فيها مسار النمو أكثر من مسار تأدية الوظيفة والصيانة. هذا المسار تتحكم فيه ثلاث منظمات أساسية يلعب فيها الأنسولين دوراً رئيسياً. وإن كانت هذه العلاقة لم تثبت أنها (سببية) إلى أن هناك ارتباط مهم، يحفز على على دراسته. فالمسار الاستقلابي وتوازنه بين النمو-توقف النمو والانشغال بالوظيفة، مسار مهم يوجد في أغلب الخلايا السرطانية.
يعتبر دكتور فونغ هذا الباردايم الثالث إضافة لسابقيَه، ولن يكون الأخير في سلسة محاولات فهم طبيعة هذا المرض. ما أضافه هو إعطاء أهمية التاريخ التطوري للخلايا مكانة مركزية، وتفسير حدوث المرض من خلال نظرية التطور. أي الانتقال من النظر إلى الخلية فقط إلى النظر فيها وفي بيئتها وعلاقتهما. وهي من جديد -كما في كتب دكتور فونغ السابقة- آلية من آليات التفكير النظمي والتي تدعو إلى النظرة الشمولية للحالة موضع الدراسة. وهو كذلك أسلوب يتماشى مع التقدم في العلوم الذي يدمج بين عدة مجالات علمية لمحاولة أفضل في فهم الموضوع قيد الدراسة.
في نهاية الكتاب يسرد دكتور فونغ العديد من التطبيقات الحالية، والناشئة التي استفادت من هذا النموذج. حيث يفتح الباب للتفكير والأمل والسعي في تطبيقات أكثر.
علاقة التطور بالسرطان معروفة وسط المجتمع العلمي. ولم تكن غريبة علي أيضاً؛ حيث اطلعت على العدد من المصادر التي تفسر السلوكيات الخاصة بالخلايا السرطانية من داخل نظرية التطور، ولا يوجد لها تفسير إلا بها. لكن الجديد هو الانتقال من تفسير جزئي إلى تفسير كامل من داخل نظرية التطور.
لا يمكنني تلخيص الكتاب كاملاً، ولكن هذه مراجعة بسيطة له.
هذا الكتاب سيكون لهذا الكتاب شأن في المستقبل القريب .
أنصح به لكل مهتم/متخصص في هذا المجال.
يواصل دكتور فونغ ما مساهمته التي بدأها في كتابين سابيقين من تغيير نظرة المجتمع العلمي والطبي لعدد من الأمراض
فبعد كتابه الأول عن السمنة، ثم كتابه عن مرض السكري النوع الثاني، يأتي هذا الكتاب ليكمل الثلاثية، هذه المرة عن السرطان.
بقدرته العالية على النظر في نتائج الدراسات العلمية، واطلاعه الواسع عليها، وبعدم تمسكه المتعصب ب"المعتقدات العلمية" يسرد دكتور فونغ نماذج ثلاثة تعرّف وتفسّر مرض السرطان من المجتمع العلمي، هذه النماذج على التوالي هي:
النموذج الأول: كانت النظرة المسيطرة فيه أن السرطان مرض النمو اللانهائي ونتج عنها ثلاثة تطبيقات علاجية: إيقاف هذا النمو عن طريق القطع "الجراحة" والحرق "الإشعاع" والتسميم "العلاج الكيميائي". نجح هذا النموذج لفترة لكن سرعان ما أنحسر بسبب التزايد الكبير في عدد الحالات والوفيات حول العالم.
النموذج الثاني: بدأ مع التطور في علم الجينات، واكتشاف الطفرات الجينية في السرطان الواحدة تلو الأخرى، لتكون النتيجة أن السرطان مرض جيني. نتج عنه تطبيقات علاجية مستمرة حتى الآن وهي: التعرُّف على الطفرات الجينية واستهدافها بعلاجات
: موجهّة/ذكية.
وكما حدث في النموذج الأول سرعان ما وجد النموذج الثاني نفسه أمام تحدي لا نهائي، وهو أن الطفرات الجينية في السرطان لا حصر لها، وبالتالي اكتشاف الطفرات الجديدة رحلة لا نهاية قريبة لها. إذ؛اً من غير العملي ولا المنطقي أن نستهدف كل هذه الطفرات بآلاف العلاجات.
النموذج الثالث: وهو النموذج الذي يقترحه دكتور فونغ -ولم يكن هو أول من بدأه-: أن النماذج السابقة للسرطان اختزالية. فكامل التركيز في النموذج الثاني انحصر على الخلية السرطانية وتحديداً طفراتها الجينية، وأغفل ١/ المسارات الاستقلابية بداخلها٢/البيئة التي تنشأ وتنمو وتتحرك وتنتشر فيها الخلية.
هذه النظرة لم تكن جديدة، ولكن كما ذكرت في بداية المراجعة أن دكتور فونغ لديه اطلاع على البحوث العلمية وقدرة على نسج نموذج واحد يضمها. من هنا يعيد استخدام مفهوم: البذرة والتربة، المعروف في تفسير انتشار السرطان في عضو معين دون غيره... لكن السياق الذي استخدم فيه هذا المفهوم هو نظرية التطور.
من هنا يبدأ الكتاب باتخاذ منحنى جديد كلياً: فالسرطان -بسحب هذا النموذج الثالث- هو حالة تطورية بحتة. ولا يمكن فهمه دون فهم تاريخ نشوء الحياة على الأرض وتطورها. فالصفات التي تتميز بها الخلية السرطانية دون غيرها هي صفات الكائنات وحيدة الخلية! وبالتالي تقوم بعملية تقهقر/تراجع تطوري إذا تعرضت لظروف مهددة لبقائها. هذه الظروف تجعل الخلية تنفك عن النسيج في جسم الكائن المتعدد الخلايا وتستقل بذاتها لتمارس سلوك تطوري قديم -بقدم الحياة- وهو سلوك الكائنات وحيدة الخلية في سعيها للبقاء! هذا التمرّد الذي تقوم به الخلية لا يفسره النموذج الثاني الاختزالي.
الظرف المهدد للبقاء يتميز بأنه: جسيم أقرب للقتل، ومستمر لفترة زمنية طويلة. أفضل مثال على ذلك هو سرطان الرئة بمسببه الرئيسي التدخين: فالمواد المسرطنة في السجائر تسبب أذى جسيم -يقترب من قتل خلايا الرئة- ولفترة طويلة من الزمن. لذلك فهو لا يحدث إلا بعد فترة طويلة من التدخين.
الجانب الآخر من هذا الباراديم هو العمليات الاستقلابية داخل الخلية السرطانية. حيث يأتي إلى تفسيره المفضل لمتلازمة الاستقلاب: زيادة مستوى الأنسولين في الدم. فالأنسولين هرمون قديم بقدم الحياة أيضاً، ودوره لا ينحصر بمستوى السكر في الدم -أي بالغذاء- لكن لديه دور في النمو. العديد من الخلايا السرطانية ينشط فيها مسار النمو أكثر من مسار تأدية الوظيفة والصيانة. هذا المسار تتحكم فيه ثلاث منظمات أساسية يلعب فيها الأنسولين دوراً رئيسياً. وإن كانت هذه العلاقة لم تثبت أنها (سببية) إلى أن هناك ارتباط مهم، يحفز على على دراسته. فالمسار الاستقلابي وتوازنه بين النمو-توقف النمو والانشغال بالوظيفة، مسار مهم يوجد في أغلب الخلايا السرطانية.
يعتبر دكتور فونغ هذا الباردايم الثالث إضافة لسابقيَه، ولن يكون الأخير في سلسة محاولات فهم طبيعة هذا المرض. ما أضافه هو إعطاء أهمية التاريخ التطوري للخلايا مكانة مركزية، وتفسير حدوث المرض من خلال نظرية التطور. أي الانتقال من النظر إلى الخلية فقط إلى النظر فيها وفي بيئتها وعلاقتهما. وهي من جديد -كما في كتب دكتور فونغ السابقة- آلية من آليات التفكير النظمي والتي تدعو إلى النظرة الشمولية للحالة موضع الدراسة. وهو كذلك أسلوب يتماشى مع التقدم في العلوم الذي يدمج بين عدة مجالات علمية لمحاولة أفضل في فهم الموضوع قيد الدراسة.
في نهاية الكتاب يسرد دكتور فونغ العديد من التطبيقات الحالية، والناشئة التي استفادت من هذا النموذج. حيث يفتح الباب للتفكير والأمل والسعي في تطبيقات أكثر.
علاقة التطور بالسرطان معروفة وسط المجتمع العلمي. ولم تكن غريبة علي أيضاً؛ حيث اطلعت على العدد من المصادر التي تفسر السلوكيات الخاصة بالخلايا السرطانية من داخل نظرية التطور، ولا يوجد لها تفسير إلا بها. لكن الجديد هو الانتقال من تفسير جزئي إلى تفسير كامل من داخل نظرية التطور.
لا يمكنني تلخيص الكتاب كاملاً، ولكن هذه مراجعة بسيطة له.
هذا الكتاب سيكون لهذا الكتاب شأن في المستقبل القريب .
أنصح به لكل مهتم/متخصص في هذا المجال.
February 22, 2025
Милиарди се хвърлят годишно за изобретяване на лекарство или ваксина срещу рак, но резултатите от това са повече от скромни. Наистина, ракът вече не е моментална смъртна присъда, както преди 50 години, но като цяло постигнатото увеличение със средно 5 г. на живота на раковоболните не може да се каже, че е революционен напредък.
Всъщност, ние даже не знаем какво точно е ракът и дори има ли такова нещо като "рак" - предвид факта, че раците на различни части от тялото са тотално различни един от друг и много учени смятат, че те не трябва да се слагат в обща категория, съответно да им се търси обща причина, общо лечение и т.н., а към тях трябва да се подхожда като към съвсем отделни болести.
Д-р Фънг прави подробен преглед както на вижданията на медицината за рака от началото на науката, така и на методите за лечение, на техните предимства и недостатъци, на модите в борбата с рака (да, в медицината има и мода...).
За разлика от много модерния напоследък "възклицателен" начин на изразяване в средите на научно-популярните книги, особено тия за здравето - знаете ги тея, "лечение на рак с гладуване", "кетозата/веганството предпазват от рак" и т.н. авторът е доста сдържан в езика си, дори когато обсъжда доста перспективни изследвания и терапии, както подобава на истински учен.
В края на книгата той дава своето мнение защо досегашните теории за същността на рака не могат изцяло да го обяснят и споделя и доказва виждането си за рака като за своево рода клетъчен атавизъм: регресия на клетките към по-примитивно ниво. Според него раковите клетки имат всички признаци на едноклетъчните организми и следва да бъдат третирани като такива за целите на изследванията. Не съм лекар естествено, но ми звучи правдоподобно.
Всъщност, ние даже не знаем какво точно е ракът и дори има ли такова нещо като "рак" - предвид факта, че раците на различни части от тялото са тотално различни един от друг и много учени смятат, че те не трябва да се слагат в обща категория, съответно да им се търси обща причина, общо лечение и т.н., а към тях трябва да се подхожда като към съвсем отделни болести.
Д-р Фънг прави подробен преглед както на вижданията на медицината за рака от началото на науката, така и на методите за лечение, на техните предимства и недостатъци, на модите в борбата с рака (да, в медицината има и мода...).
За разлика от много модерния напоследък "възклицателен" начин на изразяване в средите на научно-популярните книги, особено тия за здравето - знаете ги тея, "лечение на рак с гладуване", "кетозата/веганството предпазват от рак" и т.н. авторът е доста сдържан в езика си, дори когато обсъжда доста перспективни изследвания и терапии, както подобава на истински учен.
В края на книгата той дава своето мнение защо досегашните теории за същността на рака не могат изцяло да го обяснят и споделя и доказва виждането си за рака като за своево рода клетъчен атавизъм: регресия на клетките към по-примитивно ниво. Според него раковите клетки имат всички признаци на едноклетъчните организми и следва да бъдат третирани като такива за целите на изследванията. Не съм лекар естествено, но ми звучи правдоподобно.
January 12, 2021
My dad has cancer.
For years, I’ve been trying to understand the underpinnings, causes, and treatment implications of this disease. That’s why I picked this book as soon as I saw it on the shelf.
Overall, I’m really satisfied with the final product. Dr. Fung offers a pragmatic view of Cancer, focusing on its research, history, and scientific comprehension; emphasizing how our perspective has changed as we gain more information about its behavior. For me, the most interesting part of the book was his explanation of atavism (i.e., cellular regression to its primitive state) since it changed my view of Cancer as a genetic phenomenon to a much more holistic and natural occurrence.
The Cancer Code covers all aspects of the disease as we know it today and also expands on the future of medical exploration on the matter. I’m sure everyone interested in medicine and biology will find this book refreshing and thought provocative.
For years, I’ve been trying to understand the underpinnings, causes, and treatment implications of this disease. That’s why I picked this book as soon as I saw it on the shelf.
Overall, I’m really satisfied with the final product. Dr. Fung offers a pragmatic view of Cancer, focusing on its research, history, and scientific comprehension; emphasizing how our perspective has changed as we gain more information about its behavior. For me, the most interesting part of the book was his explanation of atavism (i.e., cellular regression to its primitive state) since it changed my view of Cancer as a genetic phenomenon to a much more holistic and natural occurrence.
The Cancer Code covers all aspects of the disease as we know it today and also expands on the future of medical exploration on the matter. I’m sure everyone interested in medicine and biology will find this book refreshing and thought provocative.
July 28, 2025
This book’s relevance to me made reading it both fascinating and sobering. I learned so much - at times too much - about what cancer really is and how it seems to work. Dr. Fung writes like a teacher, explaining things simply and clearly, building on previous concepts, and consistently reiterating and summarizing his point. It’s insightful and easy to follow.
As a side note, the more I’m learning in this process, the more I sense the tension between traditional and functional medicine. This book seemed to bridge the gap, simultaneously confirming things my doctors have said [the realm of treatment/reactivity/“science”], while also explaining more context behind why and how cancer develops and what we can potentially do to avoid it [the realm of lifestyle/proactivity/functional med]. Even though I wish the author had spent more time on practical ways to keep the “soil” of the environment of our bodies from nourishing the “seed” of cancer that’s more common in us than we think, he does spend a lot of time driving home the point that obesity/sugar intake is maybe the biggest factor in developing cancer.
The last chapter was a highlight for me, about the advancement and benefits of immunotherapy (my specific treatment). I geeked out reading about all the things I’ve heard in appointments, and I’m so grateful for both the wonders of modern medicine and the incredible bodies God has given us!
As a side note, the more I’m learning in this process, the more I sense the tension between traditional and functional medicine. This book seemed to bridge the gap, simultaneously confirming things my doctors have said [the realm of treatment/reactivity/“science”], while also explaining more context behind why and how cancer develops and what we can potentially do to avoid it [the realm of lifestyle/proactivity/functional med]. Even though I wish the author had spent more time on practical ways to keep the “soil” of the environment of our bodies from nourishing the “seed” of cancer that’s more common in us than we think, he does spend a lot of time driving home the point that obesity/sugar intake is maybe the biggest factor in developing cancer.
The last chapter was a highlight for me, about the advancement and benefits of immunotherapy (my specific treatment). I geeked out reading about all the things I’ve heard in appointments, and I’m so grateful for both the wonders of modern medicine and the incredible bodies God has given us!
December 11, 2021
Вражаюча історія про сьогоднішнє розуміння раку. В книзі немає зайвих абстракцій. Історія плавно розвивається від минулих уявлень про рак до сьогоднішніх теорій і методів лікування.
December 28, 2020
20 years ago in 2000, I learnt that Cancer is mainly developed due to irritation. Irritation could be of any form. But that was just from my grade 12 book.
Now when I read this book "The Cancer Code", I could learn a lot of about Cancer. I expected a little more on prevention, treatment etc. But due to the limitation of Cancer itself, the book also couldn't throw more light into it. When I read "The Diabetes Code", I learnt a lot and the book gave hope on reversing diabetes by Intermittent Fasting which I passed it on to my mother and few people who needed it. But, "The Cancer Code" couldn't prescribe such a solution yet. But it is definitely a starting point. One main thing, I could learn is working on nutrition, diet, lifestyle changes and also about Immunotherapy.
Now when I read this book "The Cancer Code", I could learn a lot of about Cancer. I expected a little more on prevention, treatment etc. But due to the limitation of Cancer itself, the book also couldn't throw more light into it. When I read "The Diabetes Code", I learnt a lot and the book gave hope on reversing diabetes by Intermittent Fasting which I passed it on to my mother and few people who needed it. But, "The Cancer Code" couldn't prescribe such a solution yet. But it is definitely a starting point. One main thing, I could learn is working on nutrition, diet, lifestyle changes and also about Immunotherapy.
December 21, 2021
Well I am no medicine or albeit even science student to write a review of this book but jotting down what I understood. The book chronicles a very detailed history and evolution of our understanding in cancer research - a lot of which went beyond my head but the key takeaways are as follows:
(a) Cancer is not a seed problem but a soil problem basically meaning that everyone has cancer cells and trigger factor lies in your lifestyle. The author further elaborates that the epidemic of obesity and type-2 diabetes are to some degree linked to cancer. From what I understood, the simple reason being cancer cells grow exponentially and for growing at such a rate they need food . In today’s time, we eat more than necessary or atleast obesity helps in cancer growth.
(b) Immunotherapy and Adaptive therapy are better and new mechanisms to treat cancer - better at cancer prevention than chemotherapy and radiation. For understanding this, I have detailed the exact paragraph from the book below:
“Radiation causes cell damage and consequently necrosis. This uncontrolled cell death splatters cellular parts around the tissue like raw eggs dropped on a sidewalk. The DNA tightly contained within the nucleus suddenly becomes exposed and this highly inflammatory condition attracts immune cells to clean up the mess. In addition, the immune system is primed to seek and destroy similar looking cells but cancer cells are protected because they cloak themselves using PD1 and CTLA4 and do not elicit a sufficient immune reaction. When patients receive both radiation and immunotherapy, the immune system is not only activated but also primed to kill the uncloaked cancer cells specifically. This synergy is responsible for the Episcopal effect. The local radiation acts like a vaccine aiming the activated immune system to work like a missile on a target but using the right dosing regiment is crucial.
Radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal treatments are all double edged swords with the potential to cure and kill. But the problem with these standard therapies is resistance. To draw an analogy, the pesticides used on a crop do kill the pests/insects at the same time creating resistance in them to these pesticides. Similarly, these treatments create more resistant cancer cells.”
The only reason I am rating this book 4/5 is because there were plethora of concepts that I didn’t understand and perhaps maybe it could have been simplified. But I would also understand if there are limitations in simplifying the contents of this book by the author given the complex nature of the subject. Please give it a go if you’re remotely interested in the subject.
(a) Cancer is not a seed problem but a soil problem basically meaning that everyone has cancer cells and trigger factor lies in your lifestyle. The author further elaborates that the epidemic of obesity and type-2 diabetes are to some degree linked to cancer. From what I understood, the simple reason being cancer cells grow exponentially and for growing at such a rate they need food . In today’s time, we eat more than necessary or atleast obesity helps in cancer growth.
(b) Immunotherapy and Adaptive therapy are better and new mechanisms to treat cancer - better at cancer prevention than chemotherapy and radiation. For understanding this, I have detailed the exact paragraph from the book below:
“Radiation causes cell damage and consequently necrosis. This uncontrolled cell death splatters cellular parts around the tissue like raw eggs dropped on a sidewalk. The DNA tightly contained within the nucleus suddenly becomes exposed and this highly inflammatory condition attracts immune cells to clean up the mess. In addition, the immune system is primed to seek and destroy similar looking cells but cancer cells are protected because they cloak themselves using PD1 and CTLA4 and do not elicit a sufficient immune reaction. When patients receive both radiation and immunotherapy, the immune system is not only activated but also primed to kill the uncloaked cancer cells specifically. This synergy is responsible for the Episcopal effect. The local radiation acts like a vaccine aiming the activated immune system to work like a missile on a target but using the right dosing regiment is crucial.
Radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal treatments are all double edged swords with the potential to cure and kill. But the problem with these standard therapies is resistance. To draw an analogy, the pesticides used on a crop do kill the pests/insects at the same time creating resistance in them to these pesticides. Similarly, these treatments create more resistant cancer cells.”
The only reason I am rating this book 4/5 is because there were plethora of concepts that I didn’t understand and perhaps maybe it could have been simplified. But I would also understand if there are limitations in simplifying the contents of this book by the author given the complex nature of the subject. Please give it a go if you’re remotely interested in the subject.
January 1, 2021
Excellent read: No false promises, with clear mechanistic explanations
I've been reading Dr. Fung' extensive blog posts on diabetes and cancer for a few years now, and it's clear that this book has been quite a few years in the making. A lot of the research and treatments covered in the latter half of the book are from the period between 2010-2019, giving a really modern take on how cancer is now viewed by the medical research community.
One really refreshing aspect of this book is that it doesn't offer a panacea, or a "go-to" strategy for prevention, because, as it explains, cancer is simply too complex a disease to be handled by any one way of life. A number of causal mechanisms are described in great detail, and it's up to the reader to understand, imbibe, and take those lessons and decide how to live a healthier life. While others may view this as a disappointing aspect of the book, I think it's great and honest writing on the part of the author. There's no false advertising and everything comes across as completely genuine, aimed at educating the reader.
Lastly, the best part about Dr. Fung's writing for me is his ability to peel apart the layers of a complex issue and explain mechanisms using very vivid analogies. To understand what causes cancer and what we can (to a minimal extent) do to delay its onset, it's important to dig into its deep underlying mechanisms, and for people without a background in biology, this book does a great job of explaining the A-Z of the whole process without overwhelming the reader with biological terms and acronyms. All in all, a great read that summarizes a lot of the recent, relevant cancer research, and which also offers some hope for the future!
I've been reading Dr. Fung' extensive blog posts on diabetes and cancer for a few years now, and it's clear that this book has been quite a few years in the making. A lot of the research and treatments covered in the latter half of the book are from the period between 2010-2019, giving a really modern take on how cancer is now viewed by the medical research community.
One really refreshing aspect of this book is that it doesn't offer a panacea, or a "go-to" strategy for prevention, because, as it explains, cancer is simply too complex a disease to be handled by any one way of life. A number of causal mechanisms are described in great detail, and it's up to the reader to understand, imbibe, and take those lessons and decide how to live a healthier life. While others may view this as a disappointing aspect of the book, I think it's great and honest writing on the part of the author. There's no false advertising and everything comes across as completely genuine, aimed at educating the reader.
Lastly, the best part about Dr. Fung's writing for me is his ability to peel apart the layers of a complex issue and explain mechanisms using very vivid analogies. To understand what causes cancer and what we can (to a minimal extent) do to delay its onset, it's important to dig into its deep underlying mechanisms, and for people without a background in biology, this book does a great job of explaining the A-Z of the whole process without overwhelming the reader with biological terms and acronyms. All in all, a great read that summarizes a lot of the recent, relevant cancer research, and which also offers some hope for the future!
June 16, 2021
Dr. Fung has written The Obesity Code, The Diabetes Code, Complete Guide to Fasting and The Longevity Solution. He's on a roll! The Cancer Code looks at medicine's biggest mystery: cancer. It is a disease of excessive growth. Conventional therapies include cutting (surgery), burning (radiating) and poisoning (chemotherapy).
The main question: Does cancer come from the seed or the soil? Is it genetic or the environment? Or both? Since the 1990s a push to find a cure has focused on the seed, on genetic mutations (e.g. Human Genome Project). But the Somatic Mutation Theory doesn't explain why genes mutate.
Where this dovetails with his previous work is the role of obesity in cancer. Grim stats, people. The best strategy for preventing cancer is to avoid diseases of hyperinsulinemia, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
On a personal note, I read this while my mother-in-law was dying of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Fung's explanation of cancer cachexia (losing extreme amounts of muscle and fat) helped us understand that urging her to eat more wasn't a helpful response. She's gone now, but my interest in cancer remains.
The main question: Does cancer come from the seed or the soil? Is it genetic or the environment? Or both? Since the 1990s a push to find a cure has focused on the seed, on genetic mutations (e.g. Human Genome Project). But the Somatic Mutation Theory doesn't explain why genes mutate.
Cancer growth depends on not only the seed but also, and more importantly, the soil. Even in cancers with a known high genetic risk, a person's environment plays the dominant role in whether cancer develops.I'll be honest: I didn't understand most of what he explained as the Evolutionary Theory of cancer. I didn't skip this section, but I gave it less credence.
Where this dovetails with his previous work is the role of obesity in cancer. Grim stats, people. The best strategy for preventing cancer is to avoid diseases of hyperinsulinemia, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
On a personal note, I read this while my mother-in-law was dying of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Fung's explanation of cancer cachexia (losing extreme amounts of muscle and fat) helped us understand that urging her to eat more wasn't a helpful response. She's gone now, but my interest in cancer remains.
April 25, 2021
Audio; read by Brian Nishii.
The narration of this book was perfect. Clearly read and nicely paced.
I enjoyed Dr. Fung's explanation of Cancer. This book is fairly new, so the newest thoughts, treatments, ideas are included. I was happy to know that advances are being made and understanding of this horrible disease is being made. The road it long and hard, but the medical researchers are not giving up and slowly making some headway.
In this book is a bit about history, treatments (old & new), source, new enlightenments, the importance of "seed & soil", the origins of Cancer, and so much more interesting and pertinent information.
Told in a manner that is easy to understand, interesting and informative.
The narration of this book was perfect. Clearly read and nicely paced.
I enjoyed Dr. Fung's explanation of Cancer. This book is fairly new, so the newest thoughts, treatments, ideas are included. I was happy to know that advances are being made and understanding of this horrible disease is being made. The road it long and hard, but the medical researchers are not giving up and slowly making some headway.
In this book is a bit about history, treatments (old & new), source, new enlightenments, the importance of "seed & soil", the origins of Cancer, and so much more interesting and pertinent information.
Told in a manner that is easy to understand, interesting and informative.
February 6, 2021
I learned a few things, but I am not sure whether I trust or appreciate the knowledge. As a melanoma survivor, much of it is discouraging (regarding future metastasis).
One part is leading back to his main theories about diet (specifically fasting and keto) in his other books, which lends to some cynicism.
It is well written, but I wish I hadn’t bothered picking it up. Oh, and is it revolutionary as in the blurb? No. But it is a digestible source of the scientific information that is already out there.
One part is leading back to his main theories about diet (specifically fasting and keto) in his other books, which lends to some cynicism.
It is well written, but I wish I hadn’t bothered picking it up. Oh, and is it revolutionary as in the blurb? No. But it is a digestible source of the scientific information that is already out there.
February 8, 2021
Audiobook: I was excited to get this book after hearing the author on a podcast. The book did well with explaining where we are with cancer and how we got there. I was hoping for more “do this” “avoid this” with lowering your cancer risks, but instead I leave this book with more knowledge of just how wickedly complicated cancer can be.
Podcast with author that I recommend:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Podcast with author that I recommend:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
January 6, 2021
I am recommending this book to everyone.
I have never been able to understand science in textbooks, but this book was so systematic and easy to understand. Everything was explained step by step, and I could visualize the things he was saying, made easy by examples that are so easy to understand . What a gift it is to have the knowledge and being able to impart it with such clarity.
I have never been able to understand science in textbooks, but this book was so systematic and easy to understand. Everything was explained step by step, and I could visualize the things he was saying, made easy by examples that are so easy to understand . What a gift it is to have the knowledge and being able to impart it with such clarity.
April 19, 2021
Best explanation of the root causes and mechanism of cancer. And implicitly how to prevent it. It does not have any miracle cures because there are none at present. But by understanding the causes and mechanism, you can change your lifestyle to prevent cancer as much as possible
December 1, 2020
Simply Brilliant. Thanks for such a lucid explanation.
December 14, 2020
Very informative about rhe topic. Plus Fung is a really good writer and makes complicated subject interesting.
May 28, 2021
I just love Dr. Fung! I feel like he is one of the very rare doctors willing to step outside the specified narrative to bring us TRUTH!
This book leaves us with some unanswered questions but it also successfully challenges the traditional methods in which cancer has been approached. It confirms in my mind the fact that cancer is big business. So thankful for Dr.Fung's relentless search for methods that work, even if it is a free treatment like fasting!!
This book leaves us with some unanswered questions but it also successfully challenges the traditional methods in which cancer has been approached. It confirms in my mind the fact that cancer is big business. So thankful for Dr.Fung's relentless search for methods that work, even if it is a free treatment like fasting!!
July 1, 2024
เนื้อหาเกี่ยววิวัฒนาการของทฤษฎีการกำเนิดมะเร็งและการรักษาตั้งแต่อดีตถึงปัจจุบัน มีทฤษฎีน่าสนใจแปลกใหม่เยอะ โดยเฉพาะเทียบเซลช์มะเร็งกับprokaryote ทำให้เห็นภาพมากขึัน เนื้อหามีเชื่อมโยงกับinsulin resistance กับการเกิดมะเร็ง ส่วนนี้คล้ายๆกับหนังสือobesity code
สรุป คือได้ความรู้ใหม่ๆ สำนวนภาษาที่ใช้ทำให้เนื้อหาน่าติดเหมือนเดิม แต่โดยส่วนตัวชอบน้อยกว่าobesity code
ป.ล. ผู้เขียนเป็นผู้ก่อตัังโปรแกรมลดน้ำหนัก
สรุป คือได้ความรู้ใหม่ๆ สำนวนภาษาที่ใช้ทำให้เนื้อหาน่าติดเหมือนเดิม แต่โดยส่วนตัวชอบน้อยกว่าobesity code
ป.ล. ผู้เขียนเป็นผู้ก่อตัังโปรแกรมลดน้ำหนัก
May 17, 2023
Other than repeating the main theme of the book (progression of it our understanding of cancer has been divided into three phases) so many times, the book does a great job explaining a very complex topic fairly well.
If you are interested in learning about cancer and our latest understanding, it's for you.
If you are interested in learning about cancer and our latest understanding, it's for you.
November 14, 2023
Мені книжка дуже сподобалася. Варто взяти до уваги, що перша половина бере на себе більше історичний аспект, про розвиток досліджень в темі раку. Але там є також багато фактів, які ви могли не знати до цього. Словом, якщо вам цікава ця тема в повному обсязі, то я раджу читати книжку повністю, але якщо ви потребуєте лише актуальної інформації без передісторії, то можете сміливо починати читати вже з розділів з позначкою «парадигма раку 0.3»
July 13, 2021
Очень много новой и интересной информации. Правда, почти ничего про профилактику рака(
Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews