The Long Fight Against Cancer

"Rare (at least for me) is the book you love so much that you write about it not simply to fill a hungry page with words but because of a genuine conviction that people need to read this thing.

Well, Clifton Leaf’s The Truth In Small Does: Why We’re Losing the War on Cancer – and How to Win It is precisely such a book..." —ALEXANDER NAZARYAN in THE ATLANTIC WIRE

One of "10 Books to Provoke Conversation in the New Year! The Truth in Small Doses is a detailed, sober myth-busting report. Leaf concludes the 'war on cancer' is a failure due to a dysfunctional ‘cancer culture’—‘a groupthink that pushes tens of thousands of physicians and scientists toward the goal of finding the tiniest improvements in treatment rather than genuine breakthroughs; that fosters isolated and redundant problem-solving instead of cooperation; and rewards academic achievement and publication above all else.’ He shows why the public's immense investment in research has been badly misspent." —RALPH NADER

"Why have we made so little progress in the War on Cancer? For a decade Leaf has followed the story, and though we are no closer to ‘curing’ cancer, we can now imagine—thanks to his lucid and fascinating work—what that solution might look like. In Leaf’s brilliant new book, he reframes the challenge as one of engineering, not science. As Leaf writes, ‘Science determines the limits of the possible. Engineering lets us reach them.’ " —FORTUNE

"In this brave and important book, Clifton Leaf explains the state of cancer research today, traces the battles we have won and lost in the war on cancer, and most importantly shows the ways in which doctors, researchers, and even patients might improve what we are doing to combat this disease. Leaf’s own path—from cancer patient to journalist to author—is an inspiring story itself, and his book will benefit both patient and doctor alike. The Truth in Small Doses will be the most important ‘discovery’ in cancer this year." —DAVID B. AGUS, M.D., Bestselling author of The End of Illness and A Short Guide to a Long Life

"How is it possible that America has spent billions since the 1970s in a War on Cancer, but most cancers are still incurable, painful nightmares? Clifton Leaf's radical appraisal is a spot-on jaw-dropper." —LAURIE GARRETT, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations, Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author of I Heard the Sirens Scream, Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health, and The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance

"This is one of the best books ever about the reality of cancer today. Clifton Leaf is a magnificent writer and journalist, and with this book he focuses his talent on revealing the truths about malignant disease. As he points out, despite the rosy predictions about progress, massive spending on research and shockingly expensive drugs, improvements in cancer survival have seldom materialized." —ROBERT BAZELL, Former Chief Science and Health Correspondent, NBC News, Author of Her-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer

"In this lucid, convincing, and gripping book, Clifton Leaf lays out, in heartbreaking detail, why our well-intentioned war on cancer has produced such dispiriting results. Leaf's command of the science is masterful, his passion is palpable, and his critique of a broken research system is utterly convincing. But, like the best advocacy journalism, The Truth in Small Doses is ultimately inspiring, pointing the way toward a more hopeful future. It is a landmark achievement." —JASON TANZ, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, WIRED

"Clifton Leaf has written a masterpiece. Everything about The Truth In Small Doses screams 'Disruptive Innovation.' Sometimes, fresh eyes, ones that aren't inside the circle of familiarity, may see ways to disrupt the status quo so that real progress, meaningful progress, may be achieved. It’s time for true collaboration. It's time for partnerships. It's time to be disruptive. Clifton Leaf's prose is timely." —ANNEMARIE CICCARELLA, CHEMOBRAINFOG

"An impressive book…An informative indictment of the way the war on cancer is being waged." —BARRON’S