Breast Cancer: The Complete Guide: Fifth Edition

Oncologist Hirshaut and surgeon Pressman form a specialized team of renowned authority on the treatment of breast cancer. Their book--a winner of The American Medical Writers Association's Rose Kushner Award--serves as "an additional expert by your side," providing a backstage look at the essence of breast cancer. Written for women diagnosed with breast cancer or concerned about the possibility of developing it, the guide is separated into four informative yet nonthreatening sections: "From Suspicion to Diagnosis," "Treatment," "After the Treatment," and "Life After Cancer."

The authors clarify terminology and treatment jargon that's often lost on the layperson. For instance, fibroadenomas are described as "an orderly growth of cells, confined to the breast, that results in benign, movable, and rounded lumps." The TNM system of staging is clarified as this: "the conditions Tumor, lymph Nodes and Metastasis are taken into account to determine the stage at which the cancer has been found; staging is a vital tool in measuring risk and choosing treatment."

Descriptions and illustrations help explain presurgical procedures, again providing an insider's knowledge into what to expect beyond what is usually provided by a regular physician. Additionally, in a chapter dedicated solely to prevention, the doctors explore factors that may be related to the disease's onset such as heredity, race, diet, vitamins and minerals, alcohol, caffeine, smoking, radiation exposure and other environmental causes, as well as hormones, birth control pills, and hormone replacement therapy.

The guide concludes with a NABCO (National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations) resource list including numerous offices and phone numbers in each state. Want to know more about breast cancer diagnosis and treatment? This guide may very well serve as the next best thing to an on-call physician, providing clear explanations to questions--whether general or specific--via a detailed index and 17 well-organized chapters. --Cate Bick