The first book to give women the tools they need to realistically assess their risk of getting breast cancer--and choose the best course of action Ask women what their number-one health fear is and most will not hesitate before answering "breast cancer." The recent proliferation of easily misunderstood and often contradictory statistics about breast cancer and its causes, however, is scaring many women who have only a small risk of contracting the disease. Assess Your True Risk of Breast Cancer is designed to help women evaluate what their risk really is and then determine what the next step should be based on that risk. Written by a leading expert in the field, the book discusses everything from studies on how age and family history relate to breast cancer risk, to those on hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer, enabling a woman to understand and focus on her own personal situation. Whether providing advice on how to get more extensive testing, counseling, and preventative measures when necessary, or offering the welcome assurance that the risk is small enough to warrant just annual checkups, mammograms, and regular self-examinations, Assess Your True Risk of Breast Cancer replaces rumors and scare tactics with solid, practical, and vital information.

The outlook for women with breast cancer has improved in recent years. Due to the combination of improved treatments and the benefits of mammography screening, breast cancer mortality has decreased steadily since 1989. Yet breast cancer remains a major problem, second only to lung cancer as a leading cause of death from cancer for women. To date, no means to prevent breast cancer has been discovered and experience has shown that treatments are most effective when a cancer is detected early, before it has spread to other tissues. These two facts suggest that the most effective way to continue reducing the death toll from breast cancer is improved early detection and diagnosis. Building on the 2001 report Mammography and Beyond, this new book not only examines ways to improve implementation and use of new and current breast cancer detection technologies but also evaluates the need to develop tools that identify women who would benefit most from early detection screening. Saving Women's Lives: Strategies for Improving Breast Cancer Detection and Diagnosis encourages more research that integrates the development, validation, and analysis of the types of technologies in clinical practice that promote improved risk identification techniques. In this way, methods and technologies that improve detection and diagnosis can be more effectively developed and implemented.

"Be informed. Be empowered. Be well." If you are concerned that the cancer in your family is hereditary, you face difficult choices. Should you have a blood test that may reveal whether you have a high likelihood of disease? Do you preemptively treat a disease that may never develop? How do you make decisions now that will affect the rest of your life? This helpful, informative guide answers your questions as you confront hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Developed by Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, this book stands alone among breast and ovarian cancer resources. Equal parts health guide and memoir, it defines complex issues facing previvors and survivors and provides solutions with a fresh, authoritative voice. Written by three passionate advocates for the hereditary cancer community who are themselves breast cancer survivors, Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer dispels myths and misinformation and presents practical risk-reducing alternatives and decision-making tools. Including information about genetic counseling and testing, preventive surgery, and fertility and family planning, as well as explanations of health insurance coverage and laws protecting genetic privacy, this resource tackles head-on the challenges of living in a high-risk body. Confronting hereditary cancer is a complex, confusing, and highly individual journey. With its unique combination of the latest research, expert advice, and compelling personal stories, this book gives previvors, survivors, and their family members the guidance they need to face the unique challenges of hereditary cancer.

A complete review of the issues with specific recommendations and guidelines. With over 1,000 tests commercially available, genetic testing is revolutionizing medicine. Health care professionals diagnosing and treating patients today must consider genetic factors, the risks and limitations of genetic testing, and the relevant law. Genetic Testing: Care, Consent, and Liability offers the only complete, practical treatment of the genetic, clinical, ethical, and legal issue surrounding genetic testing. The authors present protocols, policies, and models of care that are currently in use, and explain the legal framework for genetic testing and counseling that has developed in North America, particularly with regard to the law of medical malpractice. This essential book features an international roster of esteemed contributors including, Nancy P. Callanan, Bonnie S. LeRoy, Carole H. Browner, H. Mabel Preloran, Riyana Babul-Hirji, Cheryl Shuman, M.J. Esplen, Maren T. Scheuner, Dena S. Davis, JonBeckwith, Lisa Geller, Mark A. Hall, Andrew R. MacRae, David Chitayat, Roxanne Mykitiuk, Stephanie Turnham, Mireille Lacroix, Jinger G, Hoop, Edwin H, Cook, Jr., S. H. Dinwiddie, Elliot S. Gershon, C. Anthony Rupar, Lynn Holt, Bruce R. Korf, Anne Summers, S. Annie Adams, Daniel L. Van Dyke, Rhett P. Ketterling, Erik C. Thorland, Timothy Caulfield, Lorraine Sheremeta, Richard Gold, Jon F. Merz, David Castle, Peter J. Bridge, JS Parboosingh, Patricia T. Kelly, Julianne M. O'Daniel, Allyn McConkie-Rosell, Beatrice Godard, Bartha Maria Knoppers, David Weisbrot. The coverage also includes: * Genetic screening, including prenatal, neonatal, carrier, and susceptibility testing * Diagnosis, risk assessment, confidentiality, and clinical/legal issues related to follow-up * Interpreting test results and communicating them to patients * psychological considerations * Informed consent * Family history evaluations * Referral to medical geneticists and genetic counselors Genetic Testing Care, Consent, and Liability is a must-have resource for clinical geneticists, genetic counselors, specialists, family physicians, nurses, public health professionals, and medical students.

From an expert in the field comes the definitive guide to managing breast cancer in the information age—a comprehensive resource for diagnosis, treatment, and peace of mind. The breast cancer cure rate is at an all-time high, and so is the information, to say nothing of the misinformation, available to patients and their families. Online searches can lead to unreliable sources, leaving even the most resilient patient feeling uneasy and uncertain about her diagnosis, treatment options, doctors, side effects, and recovery. Adding to a patient’s anxiety is input from well-meaning friends and family, with stories, worries, and opinions to share, sometimes without knowing the details of her particular case, when in reality breast cancer treatment has gone well beyond a “one size fits all” approach. Elisa Port, MD, FACS, chief of breast surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital and co-director of the Dubin Breast Center in Manhattan, offers an optimistic antidote to the ocean of Web data on screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Inside you’ll discover • the various scenarios when mammograms indicate the need for a biopsy • the questions to ask about surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and breast reconstruction • the important things to look for when deciding where to get care • the key to deciphering complicated pathology reports and avoiding confusion • the facts on genetic testing and the breast cancer genes: BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 • the best resources and advice for those supporting someone with breast cancer From innovations in breast cancer screening and evaluating results to post-treatment medications and living as a breast cancer survivor, Dr. Elisa Port describes every possible test and every type of doctor visit, providing a comprehensive, empathetic guide that every newly diagnosed woman (and her family) will want to have at her side. Praise for The New Generation Breast Cancer Book “One book you need . . . If you’re considering your options for treatment or know someone who is, this step-by-step guide, The New Generation Breast Cancer Book, is essential reading.”—InStyle “Elisa Port, M.D., is the doctor every patient deserves: brilliant and compassionate. Her book will be a sanity saver and, quite possibly, a life saver.”—Geralyn Lucas, author of Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy “As up-to-date as one can get, with lots to offer people facing a cancer diagnosis or hoping to support someone with the disease.”—Library Journal (starred review) “The New Generation Breast Cancer Book helps you sort through all the information you’ve gathered, clarify the terminology, consider the options, and make the right decisions for your unique case.”—Edie Falco “A lifeline for many women in need of today’s most up-to-date choices for treatment . . . Everyone should read this book for themselves, their mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and friends.”—Kara DioGuardi, Grammy-nominated songwriter, music executive, and Arthouse Entertainment co-founder “The book is teeming with easy-to-understand medical explanations, tips, takeaways, and pro-and-con discussions of various courses of action. Port also includes two extremely useful appendices that respectively take on common myths and answer questions frequently asked by friends and family. This is a vital read that will empower men and women alike.”—Publishers Weekly

This book provides a comprehensive description of the screening and clinical applications of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and offers straightforward, clear guidance on use of the technique. Informative clinical cases are presented to illustrate how to take advantage of DBT in clinical practice. The importance of DBT as a diagnostic tool for both screening and diagnosis is increasing rapidly. DBT improves upon mammography by depicting breast tissue on a video clip made of cross‐sectional images reconstructed in correspondence with their mammographic planes of acquisition. DBT results in markedly reduced summation of overlapping breast tissue and offers the potential to improve mammographic breast cancer surveillance and diagnosis. This book will be an excellent practical teaching guide for beginners and a useful reference for more experienced radiologists.

Develop your anticancer strategy Knowledge is power. Knowing your cancer risk is your best weapon against cancer. Co-published with the American Cancer Society, Reduce Your Cancer Risk: Twelve Steps to a Healthier Life will help you assess your risk based on your family history, genetics, and environment, and help you make a comprehensive action plan to lower your chances of getting cancer. With an anticancer strategy in place, youíll help to protect yourself against cancer and live a healthier, happier life. Reduce Your Cancer Risk includes the most up-to-date information on: Personal risk assessment Lifestyle changes Preventive health strategies Genetic counseling Preventive anti-cancer medications