I was so excited to read this book. One of my professors had mentioned something about the cancer bigwigs suppressing potentially life-saving cancer treatments that would effectively dismantle the “for-profit” element of this industry, and I was (and still am) curious to learn more.
However, I was disappointed; while well-researched (even if outdated), Sloan immediately disregards a very important rule when considering statistics: correlation does not equal causation. Because this entire book is making direct causation claims, the author’s credibility is severely diminished.
While the insight of specific professionals in the field was eye-opening, their quotations often sometimes took on an emotional charge that was not contextualized, but rather used as supporting “evidence”. Who are these people, and what are their motivations for making these statements? He himself said that doctors, even well-meaning, can be manipulated into making false statements! Am I just supposed to trust these individuals when I apparently can’t even trust what the AMA puts out?
While I can definitely see what he’s getting at here, especially given how much $ the cancer industry rakes in, this feels rushed. What about elaborating on Einstein’s warning? What is The Lincoln Treatment? What happens when professionals try and speak up against healthcare as a business? What other successful preventative findings have been carefully buried to maintain dependency on potentially harmful “treatment” options? What can someone who is diagnosed with cancer and vulnerable to these traps realistically do to increase their chance at survival? It feels like his solution is to do nothing and wait it out. Are there any other options?
Making causation claims and painting “them” as the bad guys is easy - statistics are easily manipulated to reach certain conclusions. But what can be done, and how can the average Joe, especially one diagnosed as a cancer patient, stop themselves from becoming a victim of The System? What research is currently being ignored that has the potential to disrupt “The Big Conspiracy”?
Also, the references at the end drive the page number up by a lot.