'Cancer Chronicles' Digs Into The Complex History Of A Devastating Disease
Johnson, a seasoned science journalist, is undaunted by the complex nature of his subject. He writes clearly and colorfully without dumbing down his material. In one passage, he gives a wonderfully concise definition of the disease. "Cancer" he writes, "is a phenomenon in which a cell begins dividing out of control and accumulating genetic damage." He's also particularly good on the seed and soil theory of metastasis, which describes how certain cancer seed cells prefer certain kinds of human tissue, and metabolic syndrome, a pathological spiral at the root of several chronic conditions.
In perhaps the book's most poignant moment, Johnson confesses that he worries his decision to not have children caused Nancy's illness. Women who don't bear children, he explains, have more menstrual cycles and are therefore exposed to more estrogen, which is a known carcinogen according the National Toxicology Program. "I told myself again that her cancer was not known to be estrogen related, that my not wanting to have children was unlikely to be the cause," Johnson writes. "But who could know?"
Who could know, indeed. Carcinogens seem to be everywhere, and data is contradictory. (Coffee is a perfect example. It has has been shown to lower oral and colon cancer risks, yet it contains 19 carcinogens, including formaldehyde). But Johnson ultimately takes some solace in cancer's randomness. "There is something comforting about knowing that cancer has always been with us," he writes, "that it is not all our fault, that you can take every precaution and still something in the genetic coils can become unsprung."