Azra Raza, M.D.

by Azra Raza

When King Midas asked Silenus what the best thing for man is, Silenus replied, “It is better not to have been born at all. The next best thing for man would be to die quickly.”

Herein lies the essential contradiction; we begin to die from the moment of birth.  Walt Whitman not only embraces this existential incongruity, he asserts that being contradictory is a positive, desirable virtue: “Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes).” If you don’t contradict yourself, you are leading a simple, unexamined inner life. His large persona contains opposing, conflicting, paradoxical “multitudes” providing opportunities for self-discovery, and for change. Change is a good thing. Whitman’s friend Emerson summed it up: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”

Read the full article at 3QD

Other articles in the series:

Part 1: The First Cell, Part 1: Old Yet A New Cancer Model

Part 2: The First Cell, Part 2: Transposed Heads

Part 3: The First Cell, Part 3: Force Majeure — Oncologists Are As Desperate As Their Patients

part 5: The First Cell, Part 5: The Secret Sharer: Hybrid Cancer Cells

by Azra Raza

Ninety percent cancers diagnosed at Stage I are cured. Ninety percent diagnosed at Stage IV are not. Early detection saves lives. Unfortunately, more than a third of the patients already have advanced disease at diagnosis. Most die. We can, and must, do better. But why be satisfied with diagnosing Stage I disease that also requires disfiguring and invasive treatments? Why not aim higher and track down the origin of cancer? The First Cell. To do so, cancer must be caught at birth. This remains a challenging problem for researchers.

Read the full article at 3QD

Other articles in the series:

Part 1: The First Cell, Part 1: Old Yet A New Cancer Model

Part 3: The First Cell, Part 3: Force Majeure — Oncologists Are As Desperate As Their Patients

Part 4: The First Cell, Part 4: Giant Cells: “I Am Large, I Contain Multitudes”

part 5: The First Cell, Part 5: The Secret Sharer: Hybrid Cancer Cells

by M. William Audeh | May 26, 2020

Dear Azra,

I am happy to inform you that upon the end our phone conversation, I opened your book, which had been on my Kindle since its publication, and read it over the long weekend.
My apologies for not having read it earlier, but I had my reasons, which I will explain below. However, let me begin by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed your book, not least because your passionate voice comes through the pages so clearly in your writing. I feel as if I have had the privilege of spending several evenings in your lucid company, discussing these fundamental scientific ideas and sharing the heartfelt sorrows. It is eloquent and wonderfully written; a deeply passionate yet sharply rationale argument and memoir. Congratulations!

I will confess, that although I was quite interested to read your book, having spoken with you about its inception, development and impending publication, I was ultimately hesitant. My reluctance stemmed from two regrettable impulses, about which I am not proud, but will readily admit to you, as a dear friend. One was simple jealousy, that you had written and published a book which expressed your long-held beliefs, and anger at myself, for not having found the time and energy to do so myself. Perhaps reading your book will now inspire me to write my own. The other source of my hesitancy was the belief, not entirely unfounded, that I would find myself disagreeing with you on many points of your discourse and did not want to experience that discomfort in relation to you as a friend and colleague. In truth, I am in agreement with you on so very many aspects of your book, that I feel foolish in having held that concern. However, now that I have read your work, and understand the manner in which you have chosen to lay out your argument, I would like to express my thoughts on what you have written.

You have chosen to illustrate in your book, through poignant patient vignettes, the futility of much of oncology therapy, and the terrible cost of zealously believing we were, and are, on the right track, in our approach to cancer. So many people with early stage cancer have suffered needlessly from excessive or unnecessary therapy, and in advanced cancer, because of the false hope placed in often marginally beneficial and toxic therapies. And you effectively intersperse these patient stories with your clear explanation of the biological underpinnings of cancer, the realities of cancer research, and the clinical hubris which have driven much research and treatment. So much time, and money, and so many precious resources have been spent on misguided research and poorly designed clinical trials.

Read more …

Part 33: Özden Özer, MD

Özden Özer, M.D. is a Hematopathologist at Marmara Leukemia Lymphoma Pathology Laboratory in Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Özer had her medical training at Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Medical School and pathology training at Northwestern University School of Medicine, McGaw Medical Center, as well as at the University of Chicago where she trained under Drs. Janet Rowley and James Vardiman. Dr. Özer published numerous articles describing her findings in national and international medical journals. Read more …

Part 31: Seema Singhal, M.D.

Seema Singhal, M.D., is a Professor of Medicine (Hematology Oncology) and Chez Family Professor of Myeloma Research at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago Illinois. Dr. Singhal has conducted numerous clinical trials and published more than 230 publications describing her findings. She is the key opinion leader in Myeloma treatment and authored the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for Myeloma Treatment. Read more …