This chapter argues that literature about cancer offers unique psychological and cultural insights beyond biomedical data. Cancer’s dramatic and mysterious nature makes it a compelling muse for fiction, focusing on human experience rather than just mortality. While acknowledging that the works selected for review are personally selected and thus culturally restricted, the authors propose that such exploratory work is invaluable for medical education. It fosters empathy and perspective-taking in ways that clinical training cannot. We advocate for integrating literary works into medical curricula and provide an example of a successful student assignment that combined biomedical study, novel analysis, and patient interaction to achieve profound learning.