Abstract:

American oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Emperor of All Maladies： A Biography of Cancer traces over a century of cancer diagnosis and treatment， illuminating the cognitive costs and institutional challenges underlying the technological advances of modern oncology. This article reflects on three core propositions derived from the work. First， the modern rise in cancer incidence is partly a structural consequence of medicine's success in extending human lifespan， rather than a simple expansion of disease itself. Second， from the invention of radical mastectomy to the origins of chemotherapy， the history of cancer treatment is simultaneously a history of errors driven by excessive clinical certainty， the limitations of which were in each era historically inevitable. Third， there exists a systemic mismatch between the time benefits of preventive medicine and the incentive structures of contemporary medical institutions—a tension no less present in China's own oncology practice. On this basis， the article argues that framing cancer as a medical challenge requiring sustained engagement in an era of longevity carries greater epistemological value than the prevailing "war" metaphor， and better reflects the practical orientation of contemporary oncology.

Key words: Humanities, Evidence-based medicine, History of cancer, Medical cognition, Cancer prevention and control