The Cancer Code

A Revolutionary New Understanding of a Medical Mystery

By: Dr. Jason Fung

Narrated by: Brian Nishii

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Author of the international best sellers The Diabetes Code and The Obesity Code Dr. Jason Fung returns with an eye-opening biography of cancer in which he offers a radical new paradigm for understanding cancer - and issues a call to action for reducing risk moving forward.

Our understanding of cancer is slowly undergoing a revolution, allowing for the development of more effective treatments. For the first time ever, the death rate from cancer is showing a steady decline...but the “War on Cancer” has hardly been won. 

In The Cancer Code, Dr. Jason Fung offers a revolutionary new understanding of this invasive, often fatal disease - what it is, how it manifests, and why it is so challenging to treat. In this rousing narrative, Dr. Fung identifies the medical community’s many missteps in cancer research - in particular, its focus on genetics, or what he terms the “seed” of cancer, at the expense of examining the “soil”, or the conditions under which cancer flourishes. Dr. Fung - whose groundbreaking work in the treatment of obesity and diabetes has won him international acclaim - suggests that the primary disease pathway of cancer is caused by the dysregulation of insulin. In fact, obesity and type 2 diabetes significantly increase an individual’s risk of cancer. 

In this accessible listen, Dr. Fung provides a new paradigm for dealing with cancer, with recommendations for what we can do to create a hostile soil for this dangerous seed. One such strategy is intermittent fasting, which reduces blood glucose, lowering insulin levels. Another, eliminating intake of insulin-stimulating foods, such as sugar and refined carbohydrates. 

For hundreds of years, cancer has been portrayed as a foreign invader we’ve been powerless to stop. By reshaping our view of cancer as an internal uprising of our own healthy cells, we can begin to take back control. The seed of cancer may exist in all of us, but the power to change the soil is in our hands. 

©2020 Jason Fung (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Not helpful for a cancer patient

I disliked that there was nothing helpful for a cancer patient to do for themselves.
It is very depressing.
The cancer process is explained well but you can YouTube it, you don’t need to listen to 10 hours.

Paradigm Shift

Of course, I prefer Dr. Fung narrating, but Brian Nishii does a nice job, with good infection, tone and pacing. I played it at about 1.4 speed.

Dr. Jason Fung goes on a deeper dive with this, his third “Code” book. This time he travels a slightly different path than his previous books, taking he readers on an interesting, detailed journey into the history and rational of the many treatments for cancer, explaining where we came from and where we are going with regards to this terrible disease.

Along the way he covers the familiar questions: What causes it? How does it develop? What makes it progress? What are the old and new treatments? Alas, finally coming to the one we need to understand now, before we can more forward: Do we understand it at its core?

In getting to its core, he reacquaints us with an old nemesis - hyperinsulinemia. For insulin is not just limited to our blood sugar levels, but plays a significant role in cell growth. He reveals for the last ten years we have been in another paradigm shift, now giving us the theory of evolution and a new turn of “seed” and “soil” concept. So, we get to ask ourselves a more critical question: How do our nutrition and environment, as well as how frequency we eat, affect not only our insulin levels and obesity, but our risk of cancer?

I love Dr. Fung’s lack of adherence to traditional “scientific beliefs” and his willingness to look beyond scientific studies, while gaining insight from them. There are some nice diagrams and explanatory charts and a detailed “Notes” section of all referenced research articles at the back of the book. While he speaks easily to the layperson, I’m sure he’ll also hold the scientific and medical communities equally fascinated.

And best of all, as always, in the end he gives us hope. ❤

Intriguing, teaching, entertaining. Wow!

I listened to Dr. Fung previous works many times; They were as intriguing, teaching, entertaining, and full of useful facts and insights. Every time I listened, I found new Jewels. Then I saw a pre-order for the Cancer code. Luckily, I have no personal interest in that, only general interest in learning how I can live better. I ordered the book, just for my previous experience with Dr. Fung. Now, only about half of the book, I can only say 'Wow'. It's as good as the previous books, if not better. It's a masterpiece of making such a topic an amazing read. I will surely update this review when I finish this book, but for the sake of others looking for preliminary review, I heartily recommend it. Dr. Fung, you rock!

NOTE: there's a technical issue on my copy - chapters in each part are repeated (e.g. in part 1, I have chapters 1-5 and then again 1-5). If you encounter the same issue make sure to skip the duplicated chapters.

Should be required reading

I finished medical school 19 years ago and none of this was taught. Cancer was genetic bad luck and that was that. To know that the genetic component is only 8-10% is not only fascinating but also wildly empowering. Keep your insulin down, sleep, treat any chronic bacterial or viral infections and limit booze and smoking and you can really decrease your cancer risk. Everyone in the world is touched by cancer. Arm yourself and your loved ones with knowledge. Dr. Fung is a luminary. Read any of his books and you will learn how to keep yourself and your family healthy. I can't recommend this book enough. I finished it in two days!

Helpful for those with cancer & their family

As one with metastatic cancer; Dr Fung is helpful.
I share his insight with my family and friends who found out they have cancer at a late stage.
I know him through podcasts.
I live in a Ketogenic state hoping to starve cancer.

I may enter a study involving immunotherapy.

Great info!

There are probably only minor items I don't agree with Dr. Fung in his other books or that I found lacking but overall his effort in delivering the research he made is something I highly appreciate.

As for Cancer Code, it is highly informational! I just sent out a complimentary copy to my friend who's mother has cancer

Fascinating

This is a real departure from Dr Fung’s previous books. There is nothing prescriptive about it. It is an exploration of the biologic frameworks that have been used, what has been effective and why, and how our understanding of cancer has developed over the years. This is nitpicky but there are a couple of mispronunciations of words and Johns Hopkins is called John Hopkins.

Must Read

Really enjoyed this great book. Helped me understand cancer. I learned so much. I’m not scientific and I was able to understand everything discussed in this book. Highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn about cancer and some ways we can try to prevent it.

better if you have a medical background

Great information / insight into cancer's history and progress in conquering it. 15 word minimum?!

Billions of references to billions of years among some good information

This was a very good overview of some of the failures and successes of cancer treatment. The author’s continued statements of billions of years of evolution of our cells wanting to get back to single cell origins was extremely annoying and totally distracting from the useful research and explanation of the actual observed biology, research, and results that help our understanding of how to reduce possibility of and treatment of cancer. I was tempted to stop listening at times, but plodded through it and learned a lot. In the end, his references to the wonders of evolutionary biology rang hollow and irrelevant to the useful information that has been gained by research and studies - unfortunately many misguided as he points out.

My wife is a cancer survivor of a rare form and we have done a lot of reading about people’s sometimes half-baked ideas of how to prevent and treat cancer both “naturally” and “medically”. Some are more effective than others and some cancers respond better than others to certain approaches/treatments. This provided more facts than many other sources that often follow “the establishment” (do what the doctor tells you) or “the anti-establishment” (if you just eat or avoid our list of foods/supplements and adopt our favorite self-help routines, you will be fine) propaganda and was pretty fair in its analysis of both at a knowledgeable (yet not comprehensive) level… too bad the author decided to mix his own “evolutionary biology” propaganda in the midst of it.