Breast Cancer: The Complete Guide

Cowritten by a surgeon and an oncologist, the definitive guide to breast cancer covers diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and life afterwards.

One of every nine women in the U.S. today will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, up from an estimated one in 15 in 1975246 . Should that disease afflict you or someone you know, this manual by Hirshaut, an oncologist, and Pressman, a surgeon, will serve as a step-by-step companion, from diagnosis and treatment to life after the disease. The authors effectively combine accurate, up-to-date medical facts with brief narratives from women who have overcome the disease. Their guide is thorough and intelligent, written to give women a clear sense of the potentially bewildering choices that will face them: needle aspiration or open biopsy70-71 , lumpectomy or mastectomy117 , chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Not all the news is bad: more than 75% of malignant lumps are found by women themselves. Hirshaut and Pressman explain the technique involved in this procedure and what signs to look for47 . They also sketch the social and political contexts of the illness. For example, last year, more than 44,000 women died of breast cancer--and yet the NIH withdrew funding for a study that would have explored the link between dietary fat and breast cancer, due to budget restrictions. Somehow there was, however, enough money to give the Pentagon $29 billion.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Recent breast cancer statistics are frightening: It is the most common cancer in women, striking one out of every nine in the United States today. This new guide, written by an oncologist and a surgeon, gives comprehensive, up-to-date, and highly detailed information on everything from the first suspicion, through diagnosis and treatments, to follow-up care and recurrence. This step-by-step method serves to demystify the process of treating breast cancer, while the advice from women who have "been there" helps bring the message home. From selecting the best doctor to describing procedures and treatments, the authors answer all possible questions in a calm, rational manner. Of particular value is the recommendation that patients have a "personal advocate" during appointments and procedures. This book is the best of a recent flurry of books on breast cancer (e.g., Paul Keuhn's Breast Care Options for the 1990's , LJ 8/91; Renee Royak-Schaler and Beryl Lieff Benderly's Challenging the Breast Cancer Legacy , LJ 4/1/92). Highly recommended. Librarians should note that this October will be National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.--Ed.
- Janet M. Coggan, Univ. of Florida Libs., Gainesville
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.