Her-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer: Robert Bazell
Amazon.com Review
Her-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer reads like a novel at first. Oncologist Dennis Slamon has spent 13 years “obsessed with a molecule called Her-2,” which he believed “held the key to nothing less than curing breast cancer.” The book chronicles the search to unlock the secrets of Her-2/neu, a protein that makes cancer cells grow quickly; the discovery of the Her-2/neu antibody, which resulted in tumors shrinking and, sometimes, remission of the cancer; and the development of the drug Herceptin. It is also the story of the women with breast cancer who participated in Herceptin’s clinical trials, including Anne McNamara, who has been fighting tumor after tumor since 1978.
The scientific and research-history sections are heavy and slow going, but Robert Bazell effectively juxtaposes the difficult scientific concepts and long research history of Her-2 with human drama. He keeps bringing the reader back to the threads of the personal stories we are following–especially the women with breast cancer and their determination to recapture their health. This is what makes Her-2 so compelling. –Joan Price
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
The drama of medical research and breakthrough comes alive in this admirably objective report from the veteran chief science correspondent for NBC News on a promising advance in the treatment of breast cancer. Based on the once-shunned use of antibodies in cancer treatment, the breakthrough has come about, Bazell explains, through the efforts of biotechnologists, medical researchers, clinical doctors and patients who have participated in experimental trials, as well as through the work of aggressive political activists and fund-raisers. Bazell paints a complete picture of the development of the nontoxic “miracle” drug known as Herceptin, which purportedly halts and reverses the “overexpressed Her-2 protein” affecting 30% of breast cancer patients, shrinking and even eliminating spreading tumors. The author follows the divergent viewpoints of various involved parties, including Dennis Slamon, the UCLA researcher who for too long tried in vain to convince top cancer specialists to support his theory and proposed trials; officials at Genentech, the biotechnology company that will produce the drug; and women whose breast cancer was treated in experimental trials. Their stories create a balanced and deeply informative look into the world of medical research, into the cutthroat competition for credit that arises when breakthroughs occur and into the psyches of patients who learn that they must fight for even a slim chance at hope. Editor, Ann Godoff; agent, Suzanne Gluck; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.