Presents a history of cancer, from ancient times to the present day. Includes stories of contemporary patients and examines the latest scientific research which might indicate that we are on the brink of a lasting cure.

Scientific genetics, little more than a century old, holds at once the promise of eradicating disease and the threat of altering the very essence of what it means to be human. It traces the dizzying evolution of this new science as researchers race to identify treatments for genetic diseases, such as cancer and sickle cell anemia, and to perfect tools for rewriting DNA.