Do No Harm: How a Magic Bullet for Prostate Cancer Became a Medical Quandary

By Stewart Justman

Book Overview

A fascinating medical detective story about the unusual reception for a promising new drug by a skeptical medical community reluctant to abandon its age-old Hippocratic Oath of "Do No Harm." Stewart Justman explains how a pill called finasteride, proven to dramatically reduce the incidence of prostate cancer, was found to be also associated with a distinctly higher rate of aggressive cancer. As urologists and oncologists were presented with a strange mix of eurekas and cautionary notes, physicians adhered to their best principles and remained wary of massive application. For now, the drug is deemed too risky: the medical dictum of avoiding harm has inhibited its use on a grand scale, though statistically there is much in its favor. Do No Harm is engrossing reading about medical science and, finally, a reassuring tale of the triumph of tradition over novelty.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566636272
• ISBN13: 9781566636278
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

An excellent choice for either leisure readers or medical students.

DO NO HARM: HOW A MAGIC BULLET FOR PROSTATE CANCER BECAME A MEDICAL QUANDARY explores a modern medical detective mystery revolving around finasteride, a 'magic bullet' proven to reduce the incidence of prostate cancer dramatically. The same clinical trial also showed it was associated with a higher rate of aggressive cancer, negating its benefits. DO NO HARM is more than study of one drug's pros and cons; it outlines the drug marketing and research industry and the medical dilemmas of treatments which harm as well as help. Both general interest and medical libraries will find it an excellent choice for either leisure readers or medical students.