Her-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Bazell: Books

Product Description

Two years after she underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Barbara Bradfield's aggressive breast cancer had recurred and spread to her lungs. The outlook was grim. Then she took part in Genentech's clinical trials for a new drug. Five years later she remains cancer-free.

Her-2 is the biography of Herceptin, the drug that provoked dramatic responses in Barbara Bradfield and other women in the trials and that offers promise for hundreds of thousands of breast cancer patients. Unlike chemotherapy or radiation, Herceptin has no disabling side effects. It works by inactivating Her-2/neu--a protein that makes cancer cells grow especially quickly-- produced by a gene found in 25 to 30 percent of all breast tumors. Herceptin caused some patients' cancers to disappear completely; in others, it slowed the progression of the disease and gave the women months or years they wouldn't otherwise have had. Herceptin is the first treatment targeted at a gene defect that gives rise to cancer. It marks the beginning of a new era of treatment for all kinds of cancers.

Robert Bazell presents a riveting account of how Herceptin was born. Her-2 is a story of dramatic discoveries and strong personalities, showing the combination of scientific investigation, money, politics, ego, corporate decisions, patient activism, and luck involved in moving this groundbreaking drug from the lab to a patient's bedside. Bazell's deft portraits introduce us to the remarkable people instrumental in Herceptin's history, including Dr. Dennis Slamon, the driven UCLA oncologist who played the primary role in developing the treatment; Lily Tartikoff, wife of television executive Brandon Tartikoff, who tapped into Hollywood money and glamour to help fund Slamon's research; and Marti Nelson, who inspired the activists who lobbied for a "compassionate use" program that would allow women outside the clinical trials to have access to the limited supplies of Herceptin prior to FDA approval of the drug. And throughout there are the stories of the heroic women with advanced breast cancer who volunteered for the trials, risking what time they had left on an unproven treatment. Meticulously researched, written with clarity and compassion, Her-2 is masterly reporting on cutting-edge science.

From the Publisher

Praise for Her-2 from Susan Love, M.D.
"A fascinating description of the people and politics behind the development of a new breast cancer treatment. With Her-2 we are finally seeing the fulfillment of research's promise to move us beyond slash, burn and poison towards a more targeted approach to this devastating disease." -- Susan Love, M.D., author of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Razor Sharp Reporting 15 Dec 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This book is written with tight-as-a-drum research and detail. It read like a great suspense novel. As we sit on the edge of our seats for a cure for this devistating disease, Bazel shows us the behind-the-scenes deadlines cancer patients and doctors are working for everyday. This was an unbelievably good book.

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GRIPPING 19 Oct 1998

Bazell can write! "Her-2" is a phenomenal accomplishment. It's an imporatant read about a new drug. It is also a facinating story about women with breast cancer, scientists and Hollywood millionaires who come together in surprising ways.

A Hopeful Story 3 Nov 1998

Her-2 the drug is the start of the solution we've been waiting for..."Her-2" the book is a compassionate look at disease, politics, research and human triumph. The stories of Dr. Slamon, Lily Tartikoff, Ron Perelman and most importantly, breast cancer patients, are woven together in a facinating way.