To Be of Use

The year is 1971. Childhood leukemia, the most feared disease in the era of antibiotics, is the most common cancer of childhood and 100% fatal. These are trying times for those like me who, unaccountably, have chosen the field of pediatric oncology. In the absence of effective treatment, we have little to offer but our good intentions. On the other hand, things couldn't get much worse, so we are certain that they must get better. Little do we know, however, that we are on the cusp of a breakthrough. It has been observed that remissions achieved with combinations of chemotherapy drugs often end with the appearance of leukemic cells in the nervous system. Perhaps the nervous system is a "e;sanctuary site"e; where drugs cannot reach leukemic cells. To address this problem, radiation is given to the brain. Within a few years we notice that many children are still in remission longer than expected. Ultimately, we are willing to call them "e;cured"e;. This book relates this and numerous other major developmentsIn cancer treatment as experienced by the author who provides his personal perspective on those people and events which moved the field forward and others that didn't. The current status is critically and sometimes humorously reviewed.

The year is 1971. Childhood leukemia, the most feared disease in the era of antibiotics, is the most common cancer of childhood and 100% fatal.These are trying times for those like me who, unaccountably, have chosen the field of pediatric oncology. In the absence of effective treatment, we have little to offer but our good intentions. On the other hand, things couldn’t get much worse, so we are certain that they must get better. Little do we know, however, that we are on the cusp of a breakthrough.It has been observed that remissions achieved with combinations of chemotherapy drugs often end with the appearance of leukemic cells in the nervous system. Perhaps the nervous system is a “sanctuary site” where drugs cannot reach leukemic cells. To address this problem, radiation is given to the brain. Within a few years we notice that many children are still in remission longer than expected. Ultimately, we are willing to call them “cured”.This book relates this and numerous other major developmentsIn cancer treatment as experienced by the author who provides his personal perspective on those people and events which moved the field forward and others that didn’t. The current status is critically and sometimes humorously reviewed.