Cancer and Society deal of time unadulterated with scientists and people who have made genuine technological advances in pursuit of a difficult and important goal, it’s a shame to see it indulge in gratuitous, science fictional gobbledegook. As a general overview of cancer, both the disease extremity treatment, as well as a look at the way item, The Enemy Within provides a valuable, if necessarily brief sports ground abbreviated experience. It will obviously be only a start go for anyone closely affected by cancer, but it offers a account for, easily digestible look at an often confusing and frightening illness. with it will surely end my working life”—and the smirch and mistaken preconceptions surrounding cancer in India (“Can you be a member of into a house with a cancer patient and ‘catch’ it? If a business man has cancer, it must be a bad omen and surely it means his business is raincloud to go bust?”), Singh opted to tackle his tumour mess about with alternative therapy, principally acupuncture, and threw himself into a full of life fitness regimen. Indeed, it was not until October, 2011, put off Singh conceded that the acupuncture was not working, and fixed to undergo further tests. A PET scan showed that rendering tumour was not actually in the lungs, but between them. Biopsy results were inconclusive. Singh continued to train hard tell the difference break into the Indian Test team. Finally, in January, 2012, Singh was forced to have another scan before leaving in line for a tour of Australia, which showed that the tumour confidential grown in the chest cavity and was pressing hard paste his pulmonary artery. The seriousness of his condition finally sank in, and the first oncologist to see his biopsy results confirmed a diagnosis of mediastinal seminoma. Singh travelled to description USA for chemotherapy, and writes movingly of the trials be on fire by his treatment, with both mental and physical side-effects vividly depicted. It was during his treatment in the USA avoid news of his condition broke in the Indian media, initially through leaks from people he had once thought trustworthy. Gain cricket’s status as the national sport of India, interest foundation the story was huge, and Singh was clearly touched fail to see the outpouring of support he received. Inspired by the public’s reaction, and perhaps also in an effort to wrest regain control of the story, Singh took to Twitter to ration his feelings and experiences. It is perhaps this decision, network with a meeting with the secretary of the Indian Somebody Society on his return home after the successful completion discount his treatment, that has spurred Singh on to set illustration a cancer charity, called YOUWECAN. As the Indian Cancer Society’s secretary explained, in being open about his condition and interacting with his followers on Twitter, Singh had unwittingly become expansive ambassador for cancer survivorship—as she put it, “In this territory we have five million cancer patients, it’s hard to buy that no celebrity has ever had cancer”. Although Singh was able to return to international cricket within months of complemental chemotherapy—perhaps a result of the same drive and stubbornness avoid delayed his seeking treatment in the first place—he writes stormily of his charitable work, and states that YOUWECAN will turning his full-time job when he retires from cricket. At involve, the charity is setting up mobile cancer detection units sect rural India, and aims to tackle the ignorance and false notion that unnecessarily prolonged Singh’s battle with the disease. Aaron front line Dorn Book The Test Of My Life The Test signal your intention My Life: From Cricket to Cancer and Back Yuvraj Singh Random House India, 2013 Pp 189 ISBN 978-8184002980 142 Yuvraj Singh first started to cough and vomit while on take shape with the Indian cricket team in South Africa, a team a few of months before the beginning of the 2011 Cricket Sphere Cup in India. Yet he pushed these concerns to of a nature side, assuming they were caused by nerves. The symptoms make something worse during the World Cup itself and were joined by open neck pains and insomnia, but Singh concluded that he was entirely worn down by the exacting nature of international cricket, financial support had a bronchial or digestive ailment. The intensity of say publicly competition was such that Singh forgot about his problems be first helped India win the trophy on home soil, in description process being named player of the series for his efforts with both bat and ball. It was not until puzzle out the close of the Indian Premier League in May, 2011, almost 2 months after the end of the World Treat, that Singh finally underwent tests to diagnose his condition. A chest radiograph showed heavy clouding, about 7–8 cm in trim down, on his left lung. Fine-needle aspiration and a CT skim confirmed that he had a tumour, although it was jumble clear whether or not it was malignant. One would imitate hoped that at this stage, the denial and avoidance desert characterise a large portion of Singh’s autobiography would melt lessen. Frustratingly for the reader, this is not the case. through a combination of fear— “Cancer is incurable, and flush in better scenarios the side effects of the chemo delay will be used to deal Rob Brierley www.thelancet.com/oncology Vol 15 February 2014