“I often had the idea of writing a book on cancer, but feeling dread from the length of the journey and the brutality of the road stood an obstacle between me and going through this complex experience, and the great risks surrounding it, this disease that drained most of my professional life made me summarize medicine in two dimensions: cancer, And other diseases, and he succeeded in changing my view of life. “
With these words, Dr. Assem Mansour, Director General of the Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan, opened his new book “Cancer from the distance zero: when you betray the cells.”
“The cancer is not just a disease, but rather a phenomenon that stimulates complications and paths that involve various aspects, including health, social, economic, and even philosophical, as it is a biography of illness and people who live and live in their inner, and feed on their bodies and their souls, so the moment that a person receives the news of his injury to this disease knows Quite that his life will change once and forever, as there is no return to the pre -news life, as if he was born again, and then he must adapt his life based on this fact, and to search for his life for a new meaning.
“This book will be the Atlas that draws complex geographical features from cells that deviated from their path, and from lives that were re -directed again by diagnosing the disease, scientific research dating back to the centuries, and the scientists who refused to submit to the prevailing current in their time And from new social systems, it will be reshaped once the word cancer is pronounced.
The book reviews with a simple scientific approach to cancer, and talks about traditional and modern treatment methods such as careful medicine and immunotherapy. The book also offers real stories of patients with their journey with malignant disease.
The book is located in 23 chapters, along 677 pages of medium pieces.
Dr. Mansour chose the title of the book to reflect his personal experience with cancer, starting with his grandfather’s illness, to his work at the Hussein Cancer Center.
Dr. Mansour began his work in the Al -Hussein Center in the Diagnostic Radiology Department, and in 2012 he took the position of general manager, and still today.
Al -Jazeera is health, Dr. Mansour interviewed the book:
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Why Dr. Mansour wrote this book?
As I mentioned in the introduction to the book, I had the idea of writing this work for a long time, until I made a decisive decision to start writing after the idea matured in my mind. Today, after years of thinking, research and writing, this book has become in our hands to reflect my experience with cancer from zero distance, as I realized that cancer is not just an organic disease, but a psychological and social experience that leaves its deep impact on patients and their families.
Also, I produced this work so that it is not limited to providing abstract scientific knowledge, but rather seeks to take the reader on a journey that mixes the scientific path and the human experience. My only weapon was in the face of the disease of science and knowledge, but rather I witnessed human stories rich in pain, hope and exposure to the moment of truth. These experiments have left a profound impact on myself, and the most powerful of them was the death of my grandfather with cancer during my university studies. And as I said in the introduction to my book: “That was my first covenant with this disease, yes we met for the first time face to face.” This experience constituted a turning point in my understanding of cancer, not only as a disease, but as a human condition that requires an explicit confrontation with reality.
I also want this book to see the light to be like a compass, which helps the reader to move between the complexities of the disease and its corridors. It is a butter of years of experience in which it brought together deep medical knowledge and human and administrative vision, as it displays the history of the development of cancer in a way that transcends the traditional medical narration.
For this, this book comes to put the disease and the patient at the heart of the human experience, away from the dry numbers, and reveals to the reader not only the history of cancer and the technological revolution in its treatment, but also the reality surrounding it, from the challenges of health care to hope for a more fair future, as well as my desire In highlighting the need to improve health care to combat cancer in the Arab region, which faces many health, social, economic and political challenges.
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How did you approach the issue of cancer? Scientifically, socially, or psychologically?
In my book, I approached the issue of cancer from a comprehensive perspective that combines the scientific, social and psychological dimension. Scientifically, the book reviews the history of cancer from ancient times to the modern era, explaining the development of its diagnosis and treatment, starting from traditional methods to modern treatments such as immunosuppressive therapy and genetic therapy, while highlighting the role of artificial intelligence and robots in enhancing the accuracy of diagnosis and improving the results of treatment.
As for social aspect, I would like to point out that cancer is not a disease that is limited to the body only, but rather that it has large social dimensions that affect the patient, his family and society as a whole. Here, the book highlighted the social differences in accessing health care. In developing countries, patients face great challenges to access the simplest medical services, compared to developed countries that provide them with modern treatments thanks to advanced medical technology. These social gaps are also manifested in the differences between social classes, as patients who have good health insurance have greater opportunities to obtain advanced treatment compared to others who do not have such insurance; This reflects the size of the challenges facing patients in obtaining health care in light of economic and political gaps. The book presents these differences to make the reader understand that justice in reaching treatment is a central issue that must be treated.
Cancer may be a disease that can be treated somewhere, but it may be a death sentence elsewhere due to lack of medications and poor health infrastructure.
On the psychological level, it has dealt with the effect of cancer on the patient emotionally and psychologically, and how the diagnosis of cancer is not just a medical diagnosis, but rather a psychological shock to the patient and his family. Fear of death, constant anxiety about treatment and recovery, and a feeling of isolation are all feelings of many patients, and touched them through live experiences of patients I knew.
The psychological aspect is not limited to presenting negative emotions only, but many patients have shown an unusual internal force in the face of the disease. She witnessed and lived many stories of hope in which the human spirit was manifested in a battle with the disease, such as the psychological challenges facing the patient when physical pain intersects with psychological anxiety.
Here, I stress that psychological support for patients is a component of no less important than medical treatment, and whether this support came from the family, society or support groups.
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Is cancer really the patient’s fault and could he prevent him? Or is it a destiny that is not beneficial to prevent it?
I do not agree to consider cancer as a sin that the patient can fully bear, and at the same time, he warned of the need to avoid risk factors such as tobacco addiction in all its forms, a balanced diet and physical activity, and persevere in making early detection examinations. It was also indicated that cancer is a multi -factor disease and may also be associated with genetic and environmental factors.
In my book, I presented a comprehensive picture of cancer, showing how the scientific aspect overlaps with social and psychological, which makes the reader look at the disease from a more humane and comprehensive perspective.
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How do you see the future of caring for cancer patients in the Arab world during the next 10 years?
It is expected that the Arab countries will witness an increase in the number of cancer cases in the next ten years, and this puts us in front of challenges that are added to other health, social and geopolitical challenges that are specialized in the Arab region.
Most of these countries lack a strong infrastructure, the absence of comprehensive strategies to combat cancer, and the scarcity of financial resources to combat cancer: starting from prevention and awareness to early detection, proper diagnosis, totalitarian treatment and an end to palliative. I point out here that the high incidence rates in these countries are due to several reasons:
- People are old “increased ages” in the Arab world.
- The increased risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and lack of exercise.
- Increased population.
In light of the widening of the gap between the poor and the rich, whether at the individual level or at the level of states, countries will not be able to keep pace with obtaining early diagnosis or cancer treatment.
I stress here the necessity of conducting effective awareness campaigns, improving early detection programs, and enhancing the health structure in the region, and I add that the lack of accurate data on cancer constitutes an obstacle to effective planning to combat the disease in the Arab countries.