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If cancer is "normal", there is no justification for describing it in semi-fundamentalist terms ("strange stigmata", "ghostly pains", "the liquid that welled out of Carla's veins"). How is any newly diagnosed person going to feel on reading Siddhartha Mukherjee's piece? I and my twin brother both had testicular cancer a few years ago and now live happy, healthy lives. I am happy to accept the evidence of a genetic susceptibility and that lifestyle can increase the risks, but why overdramatise? Many people get cancer, get treatment, then carry on with their lives.
Stephen Mattinson
Steyning, West Sussex

Rising cancer rates are not just down to an ageing population: a 2006 European study of cancer in children found it has been rising at 1.1% a year over two decades; and a 2007 study found that the average age of onset of prostate, breast and cervical cancer is decreasing. Our charity monitors the scientific literature for studies linking disease to exposure to pollution and chemicals, and hardly a day goes by without another coming to our attention. Consequently we do not accept cancer as "normal".
Jamie Page
Chief executive, The Cancer Prevention & Education Society, London E14

The article was intelligent and measured, so why a cover depicting cancer as some kind of fashion choice? Watching my brother dying never felt "normal" to me. Life after his death does not feel "normal", either.
Lucy Marcovitch
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

It would appear from your cover that being white is the new normal, too.
Craig Cheetham
Todmorden, West Yorkshire

Dr Annette Hurst
Bollington, Cheshire

Sean Ellis says a wolf "took my entire face in his mouth and started to squeeze hard… in that split second I realised how vulnerable I was and how restrained they were most of the time." Hmm. One can presume only that the wolf must have had the same realisation and, knowing Sean had learned his lesson, relaxed its grip on his face. Clever animals, wolves. Psychic, too.
Roisin Wilson
London W8

The reason Tim Dowling stays with his wife is because, in a houseful of men, she's the only one who can sort things out.
Linda Aizlewood

Congratulations to the unsung hero of Tim Dowling's column, illustrator Benoit Jacques. Until last Saturday, I wouldn't have believed it possible to draw a snake looking a bit peaky.
Andrea Rayner
Riddlesden, West Yorkshire

Good to see an article on charity furniture shops, but a shame it focused only on the usual brand name charities. With a bit of research, you'd have uncovered a national network of furniture reuse organisations that offer high-quality bargains while looking to bring about positive social change. Go to the Furniture Reuse Network websitefor a local outlet.
Alex Green
Erith, Greater London

Scott Wallace
Shawlands, Glasgow
