Softcover

ISBN 10: 1421404087 ISBN 13: 9781421404080

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012

"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.

About the Author:

Sue Friedman, D.V.M., is the founder and executive director of Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered. Her numerous articles on hereditary cancer have appeared in Oncology Times, CURE, Gene Watch, and the Boston Globe, among others. Rebecca Sutphen, M.D., is a nationally recognized clinical and research expert in hereditary cancer, professor of genetics at the University of South Florida, and chief medical officer of Informed Medical Decisions. Kathy Steligo is a freelance writer specializing in business and health topics and author of The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook.

Review:

"A fine resource discussing the challenges of living in a high-risk body."

(Midwest Book Review)

"An insightful and informative read."

(Nursing Times)

"A top pick for any breast cancer collection."

(Midwest Book Review)

"This book is an excellent resource for lay people trying to understand and deal with inherited breast and ovarian cancer."

(Judith Offman Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare)