The Philadelphia Chromosome

The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Genetic Mystery, a Lethal Cancer, and the Improbable Invention of a Life-Saving Treatment Paperback – March 19, 2014

Author: Visit Amazon's Jessica Wapner Page | Language: English | ISBN: 1615191976 | Format: PDF, EPUB

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The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Genetic Mystery, a Lethal Cancer, and the Improbable Invention of a Life-Saving Treatment – March 19, 2014
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Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is an uncommon but fatal cancer. More than 95 percent of patients afflicted with this malignancy have a chromosomal abnormality known as the Philadelphia chromosome. This genetic mutation is characterized by a swap of genetic matter between two different chromosomes so that a single chromosome (number 22) has a piece missing. The mutated chromosome codes for an enzyme—tyrosine kinase—that is hyperactive and ramps up production of white blood cells that leads to leukemia. A chemical compound was identified that selectively targets the kinase protein. Gleevec was FDA approved in 2001, and the results have been quite impressive. It outperformed the existing first-line treatment for CML. It is safer than a bone marrow transplant. Gleevec is unique among cancer drugs because it is taken orally (instead of administered intravenously) at home (instead of the hospital or clinic) with very manageable side effects. Science writer Wapner has pieced together a detailed account of a spectacular scientific success story and a turning point in the treatment of cancer. --Tony Miksanek
--This text refers to the

Hardcover
edition.

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One of The Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2013: There were numerous strong books about cancer in 2013, but this account of the decades of work to find a drug to fight chronic myelogenous leukemia was the strongest. Jessica Wapner translates the complexities of medical science for the general reader and demonstrates the necessity of collaboration between two traditional enemies, academia and Big Pharma. Among a small cluster of very good recent books on cancer. The New York Times This reporting takes in a huge swath of science and research, a landscape that changes dramatically over the course of her story. Wapner s achievement is to help the reader understand why each development is huge in its time and place starting with Hungerford peering through his camera at the chromosomes and following scientists through the laboratory stories, through drug development and animal testing, to the triumphant patient treatment when the drug becomes almost routine a scientific miracle absorbed into the daily lives of a group of patients no longer united by a fatal diagnosis. The Washington Post In [The Philadelphia Chromosome], Jessica Wapner chronicles the ensuing decades of laborious scientific inquiry and industrial ingenuity that led to the discovery of Gleevec, the first drug designed to attack cancer at the genetic level. Its success in beating CML into remission and making the errant chromosome disappear has helped to revolutionize cancer research, unleashing a hunt for the genetic basis of other cancers and opening the door to comparable targeted treatments. The Wall Street Journal [A]riveting suspense story . . . Ten years ago, CML was a death sentence. Today, with Gleevec, most of its sufferers lead full and normal lives. Wapner tells the complex story of how this came to be with clarity, eloquence, and balanced insight. American Scholar An excellent book for those who want to learn more about how medical discoveries are made and those interested i

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Direct download links available for The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Genetic Mystery, a Lethal Cancer, and the Improbable Invention of a Life-Saving Treatment – March 19, 2014

Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: The Experiment; Reprint edition (March 19, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1615191976
ISBN-13: 978-1615191970
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Cancer > Leukemia
- #83 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Oncology

Reading the Philadelphia Chromosome transformed me into a mini scientist majoring in CML, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. I was diagnosed with CML in November of 2003, which required keeping up-to-date on news relating to CML. When I heard about the Philadelphia Chromosome by Jessica Wapner, I was anxious to add it to my shelf of resources.

Reading the book with pencil in hand to highlight new facts as well as valuable previous knowledge, I found myself marking information on every page.

When I was diagnosed my oncologist informed me that if there was ever a good time to get CML, it was now. At that precise moment, I had no idea what he was talking about. He may have elaborated, but in that moment of shock, I didn't hear much. Wapner's book has renewed my appreciation of that conversation every time I swallow my oral chemotherapy pill, Gleevec.

I have an entire file cabinet filled with lab results since 2003. My oncologist reviews the findings with me twice a year, but after reading the Philadelphia Chromosome, my understanding of the labs has improved. I have registered for a couple of CML conferences and am confident I will easily grasp new information presented after reading this book.

Years ago I started writing a book about living with CML. I found it too depressing to continue, however, not abandoning the therapeutic effect; I turned it into a blog, which I update once a month. marycrocco.wordpress.com Being helpful to a few readers who have stopped by makes it worthwhile.

Wapner shared a story of a patient who cherished her Gleevec and defended it with her life. I do the same thing, always insisting to sign for it and checking the delivery time is set for the morning.

This book is divided into roughly three parts. The first part consists of an account of how scientists tracked a certain kind of leukemia down to its genetic origins. Some of the explanation here can be a little difficult. But don't be put off. While this section doesn't necessarily make for light bedtime reading - it is accessible. Wapner presents the material in short, easily digestible chapters. She frequently reviews what's been covered so far, and she is a master of writing clear, logical sentences that include analogies from everyday life. So you will readily enough be able to understand this section if you just turn off the TV and concentrate for short stretches.

Your diligence will be rewarded. At the end of this section, you'll have a clear understanding of how this type of cancer, and of how cancers in general, can arise in the very core of our cells. You'll also understand how a drug can be tailored to specifically stymie the action of the aberrant chromosomes.

The second section deals with how Brian Druker and others ushered such a drug through the necessary test phases. Reading about this often frustrating process, you'll learn how tests must progress from animal to human subjects in order to eventually try for FDA approval. The pill that was eventually formulated proved to be so much more successful at fighting back the cancer than previous drugs or procedures, it was fast-tracked for FDA approval. Here the reading gets easier, although perhaps not quite as interesting.

Finally, Wapner recounts how the drug was named Gleevec and was marketed. She also tells how this pioneering drug has opened the door to what's become a flood of other drugs targeted at blocking the chemical chain of events that arise from a mutated gene.