Product Description

Award-winning author, Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., whose 1978 book The Politics of Cancer shook the political establishment by showing how the federal government had been corrupted by industrial polluters, has written a book that is sure to be of equal consequence. Cancer-Gate: How to Win the Losing Cancer War is a groundbreaking new book. It warns that, contrary to three decades of promises, we are losing the winnable war against cancer, and that the hand-in-glove generals of the federal National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the private "nonprofit" American Cancer Society (ACS) have betrayed us. These institutions, Epstein alleges, have spent tens of billions of taxpayer and charity dollars primarily targeting silver-bullet cures, strategies that have largely failed, while virtually ignoring strategies for preventing cancer in the first place. As a result, cancer rates have escalated to epidemic proportions, now striking nearly one in every two men, and more than one in every three women. This translates into approximately 50 percent more cancer in men, and 20 percent more cancer in women over the course of just one generation. According to Epstein, these failed strategies are largely due to institutional malaise and outdated mindsets fixated on treatment, to the virtual exclusion of prevention, other than quitting smoking. But, Epstein says, there is much more. In particular, the book shows how the NCI and ACS are corroded with major institutional and personal conflicts of interest with cancer drug companies ("Big Pharma"). As candidly admitted by a recent NCI director, the NCI has become a "government pharmaceutical company." For the ACS, these conflicts extend to environmental polluters in the chemical industry, and connivance in white collar crime. Not surprisingly, The Chronicle of Philanthropy has charged that "the ACS is more interested in accumulating wealth than saving lives." These close ties to industry have transformed the NCI and ACS into cheerleaders for special interests rather than stewards of the public interest. Astoundingly, and for the first time, Epstein chronicles how the NCI and ACS are sitting on mountains of information about avoidable environmental causes of cancer rather than making this available to the public in any systematic and understandable way. This silence has even extended to frank suppression of such information, denial of the public's right to know, and violation of human rights. Following a detailed indictment of these public betrayals, Epstein explains how we can "take back" the war against cancer with a wide range of strategies. These include "right-to-know" laws, ensuring public dissemination of critical information on environmental carcinogens and avoidable causes of cancer, and legislative reforms and oversight to ensure that the NCI protects the public rather than special interests. This searing exposé of the NCI and ACS, and the proposed reforms of public policy have been endorsed by over a hundred leading independent experts in cancer prevention and public health, as well as by activist citizen groups. The Losing War

* Since President Nixon launched the 1971 cancer war, cancer incidence rates (adjusted for the aging population) have escalated to epidemic proportions.

* Contrary to NCI and ACS claims, the escalating incidence of cancer cannot be explained away by smoking, but is due to avoidable exposures to a multiplicity of environmental carcinogens. And, while lung cancer rates have declined steadily, rates for a wide range of cancers unrelated to smoking have increased sharply.

* These alarming statistics do not reflect a lack of resources. Since 1971, NCI's budget has increased 30-fold, from $150 million to $4.6 billion; annual revenues of ACS have now reached $800 million. Paradoxically, it seems that the more money we spend on cancer, the more cancer we get.

* Meanwhile, and in spite of the NCI/ACS's overwhelming expenditures on an ongoing se

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #443682 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 377 pages

Review
Cancer-Gate is simply magnificent-a battle cry for activists to reclaim the failing war against cancer. -- Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D., President, Cancer Communications, Inc., Lemont, Pennsylvania, Director, The Moss Reports, and Author, The Cancer Industry

If we had taken Epstein's advice on prevention 30 years ago we would not be facing this tragedy today. -- Frank D. Wiewel, Founder, People Against Cancer

This book is a must for every public health student and professional. -- Quentin D. Young, M.D., Chairman, Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, Past President, American Public Health Association

About the Author
Dr. Epstein is Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. He is an internationally recognized authority on the causes and prevention of cancer, and has published some 270 scientific articles and 11 books, including the prize-winning The Politics of Cancer (1978), The Safe Shopper's Bible (1995), The Breast Cancer Prevention Program and The Politics of Cancer Revisited (both 1998).

Dr. Epstein is the recipient of many prizes and awards, including the 2005 Albert Schweitzer Golden Grand Medal for Humanitarianism. He is a member of the National Writers Union, AFL-CIO, and the National Association of Science Writers.

Customer Reviews

Sometimes the truth hurts!
"The book shows that, contrary to the impression fostered by our public relations-dominated media, we are in fact losing the much-vaunted "War on Cancer." Unlike most academics in the cancer field, Prof. Epstein is passionate about public health and cultivates a take-no-prisoners style. Repeatedly rebuffed by the powers that be, he does not hesitate to name names. He claims, for instance, that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) have both betrayed us, spending tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer and charity money "primarily targeting silver-bullet cures...while ignoring strategies for preventing cancer in the first place."

As a result, he says, cancer rates have escalated to epidemic proportions, now striking one in every two American men, and more than one in every three women.

This is an angry, impassioned and important book. Much of this book is very technical in nature. It thus requires some effort to read and digest. For the person who is seriously interested in understanding the failure of our society to address issues of industry pollution, this book is indispensable. For those who are ready to join the fight against greed and corruption in the cancer field, it will also be an enormously rewarding experience. As with Prof. Epstein's earlier books, one comes away with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of how chemicals have polluted our environment, and how those who manufacture such chemicals have similarly polluted our political system."
Review by Dr. Ralph Moss
To which the people said: Amen!

FINALLY!
Finally a book that tells the truth. I have had cancer, twice. I do NOT want a CURE for cancer! That's correct, you heard it, I do not want a cure for cancer. I do not want you, your family or anyone else to have to suffer with cancer. I WANT A PREVENTION! NO ONE should get this preventable disease. We have all known for years that the chemicals in our environment have been causing problems. But industry backed by our government has been allowed to flourish at everyone's expense. Cancer is big business and as soon as everyone understands this maybe something will be done! Bravo for taking a stand!

American Cancer Society keeps more than HALF of all donations.
The ACS spends only 16% of contributions on research! More than half of all donations given to them go for their overhead and administrative costs - including six-figure incomes to their executives, fleets of cars, and buying real estate. I call that obscene.

How do they get away with it? Here's how:

All donations are first sent to ACS headquarters where half of it is skimmed off for "overhead." Then fixed budget amounts are sent back to ACS branch offices. That way, when you call a branch office and ask them what their overhead is, they will tell you, "Oh, it's only 5 or 6%." They NEVER tell you that headquarters keeps over 50% of all donations for themselves.

ACS holds about one BILLION dollars in cash!! Why is that not being spent on research?

Don't give your donations to the corrupt ACS. Find a charity that gives more than 75% of your donation to research.