Author: John Grisham
Published: January 19th 2016 by Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Format: Kindle Edition, 67 pages
Genre: Medical Information
Sometimes a cause needs a big name to lend a hand and that is exactly what you get with “The Tumor”. John Grisham begins by telling the reader of a presentation that he attended on focused ultrasound therapy - a groundbreaking procedure that could one day alleviate the need for conventional brain tumor surgery. The ability to destroy tumors with beams of focused energy that would allow the patient to walk out of the operating room and go home. This non-invasive, painless and relatively inexpensive solution could add years to a patient’s life.
Grisham turns the PowerPoint presentation into a short novella that explains the early stages of this still experimental therapy and how further testing is beginning to show promise in other tumors found within the mammary glands, prostate, liver, kidney, and bones.
Of course, there are barriers to this type of technology but with any procedure still within its infancy, dollars are needed to continue the research and this is where Grisham comes in. By showing the current procedures and limitations and then showing the “what could be” alternate scenario, John Grisham is lending his name to show his audience where the medical frontier is headed.
This might come across as heavy handed, but for me, I found it fascinating. They are upfront in saying that not all people will be cured from all cancer. That some cancers will become chronic conditions, but that adding healthy years with occasional tune-up, may be where cancer treatment is going. The presentation was intended to tug on your heartstrings, but sometimes that is what is needed to see what is around the bend.
Grisham turns the PowerPoint presentation into a short novella that explains the early stages of this still experimental therapy and how further testing is beginning to show promise in other tumors found within the mammary glands, prostate, liver, kidney, and bones.
Of course, there are barriers to this type of technology but with any procedure still within its infancy, dollars are needed to continue the research and this is where Grisham comes in. By showing the current procedures and limitations and then showing the “what could be” alternate scenario, John Grisham is lending his name to show his audience where the medical frontier is headed.
This might come across as heavy handed, but for me, I found it fascinating. They are upfront in saying that not all people will be cured from all cancer. That some cancers will become chronic conditions, but that adding healthy years with occasional tune-up, may be where cancer treatment is going. The presentation was intended to tug on your heartstrings, but sometimes that is what is needed to see what is around the bend.
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