A New War on Cancer

For more than fifty years, we have been waging, but not winning, the war on cancer. The astonishing news is that up to two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes. If we can stop cancer before it begins, why don't we? That was the question that motivated Kristina Marusic's revelatory inquiry into cancer prevention. They recognize that we will never reduce cancer rates without ridding our lives of the chemicals that increasingly trigger this deadly disease. One scientist grew up without seeing examples of Indian-American women in the field, yet went on to make shocking discoveries about racial disparities in cancer risk. Another leader knew her calling was children's health, but realized only later in her career that kids can be harmed by invisible pollutants at their daycares. For these individuals, the fight has become personal. And it certainly is personal for Berry, a young woman whose battle with breast cancer is woven throughout these pages. Marusic shows that, collectively, we have the power to prevent many cases like Berry's. The war on cancer is winnable-if we revolutionize the way we fight.