The Emperor of All Maladies
by Siddhartha Mukherjee · Siddhartha Mukherjee
A history of cancer from ancient descriptions through modern chemotherapy, radiation and targeted therapy, told through patients, researchers and trials. Readers come away understanding how oncology's treatments, and its framing of the disease itself, were arrived at.
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More resources on Oncology
uptodate.com
UpToDate is an evidence-based clinical decision support tool for clinicians, offering routinely updated, peer‑reviewed topic reviews across internal medicine and specialties. It provides diagnostic approaches, treatment recommendations, drug information, and patient care summaries to support bedside decisions.
Khan Academy Health and Medicine
Free video lessons and practice questions from Khan Academy on human anatomy and physiology organized by organ system, with material on common diseases, diagnostic tests and treatments. Learners build the foundational biomedical vocabulary and mechanisms needed before clinical training or MCAT and NCLEX study.
OncoLink
Cancer information service run by Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center, covering cancer types, staging, chemotherapy and radiation drug monographs, side-effect management and survivorship. Useful for orienting yourself in a diagnosis and its treatment options before consulting clinical guidelines.
ASCO University
The American Society of Clinical Oncology's e-learning platform: self-assessment modules, board-preparation material, tumour-site courses and CME activities built from ASCO guidelines. Mostly aimed at oncology trainees and practising clinicians; some content is free, most requires membership or purchase.
NCCN Guidelines
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network's consensus treatment algorithms, filtered here to Category 1 recommendations backed by high-level evidence. Free with registration, they show the decision points clinicians follow for workup, staging and therapy in each cancer type.
Introduction to the Biology of Cancer
Over 500,000 people in the United States and over 8 million people worldwide are dying every year from cancer. As people live longer, the incidence of cancer is rising worldwide and the disease is expected to strike over 20 million people annually by 2030. This open course is designed for people who would like to develop an understanding of cancer and how it is prevented, diagnosed, and treated. The course introduces the molecular biology of cancer (oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes) as well as the biologic hallmarks of cancer. The course also describes the risk factors for the major cancers worldwide, including lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, and stomach cancer. We explain how cancer is staged, the major ways cancer is found by imaging, and how the major cancers are treated. In addition to the core materials, this course includes two Honors lessons devoted to cancers of the liver and prostate. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: - Identify the major types of cancer worldwide. (Lecture 1) - Describe how genes contribute to the risk and growth of cancer. (Lecture 2) - List and describe the ten cellular hallmarks of cancer. (Lecture 3) - Define metastasis, and identify the major steps in the metastatic process. (Lecture 4) - Describe the role of imaging in the screening, diagnosis, staging, and treatments of cancer. (Lecture 5) - Explain how cancer is treated. (Lecture 6) We hope that this course gives you a basic understanding of cancer biology and treatment. The course is not designed for patients seeking treatment guidance – but it can help you understand how cancer develops and provides a framework for understanding cancer diagnosis and treatment.