In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Pier Mario Biava argues that the problem with cancer is not the disease itself, but how to treat it, how to approach the affected body. Malfunctioning cells, he says, need not always be cut out or chemically destroyed: they can be reprogrammed for normal functioning. This process involves identifying the information that stem cells receive during embryonic growth in the mother’s womb and reapplying it to cancer cells in the fully developed organism. Thus cancer cells can shift from multiplying and damaging tissue to healthy growth within the organism. Dr. Biava’s dramatic story recounts not only how he came by his key insight but also how he devoted years to its testing and making it operational.

Cancer and the Search for Lost Meaning also contains fascinating conclusions about what the lessons of this work can offer in terms of how we view human life and existence. The book makes a powerful case that cancer is a by-product of the sense of loss and lack of meaning in modern society and that healing cancer involves healing that sense of meaninglessness—a process that can lead to a deeper understanding of, and connection to, life.