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.