Yesterday morning’s Diane Rehm Show on NPR featured an excellent, detailed discussion about cancer and genomics research in terms that are very understandable for patients, families, and the general population. Diane’s guest, Dr. Bernadine Healy, is the health editor of U.S. News & World Report, the former director of the National Institute of Health, the former director of the American Red Cross, and the author of “Living Time: Faith and Facts to Transform Your Cancer Journey.”
In the opening of the “New Approaches to Treating Cancer” segment, Dr. Healy, a cardiologist, touches on her own personal journey with cancer; she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor on Valentine’s Day 1999. “One of the sad things about cancer is that so often it hits in the prime of life,” she explains. “Virtually everybody is touched by cancer, either directly themselves – about 40% of people – but also through their families. Cancer is a family effort; it’s a family disease.”
They go on to discuss, in nontechnical terms, how the mapping of the human genome offers the possibility of a personalized approach to diagnosing and treating the disease, along with the latest developments in the war on cancer.
If a family member or friend is learning about cancer, this segment is an excellent resource. Here are several links you can share: