How to Navigate Your Diagnosis and Treatment Options--and Remain Optimistic--in an Age of Information Overload
August 17, 2015
This heartfelt health manual by Port, chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, describes how breast cancer affects patients’ lives. Her introduction sounds an optimistic note: not only are survival rates now at their highest point ever, but doctors are also using less invasive treatments without compromising effectiveness. Port knows how overwhelming the availability of information can be today and aims for a calming tone, cautioning that it is important to find the right team of doctors, remember that a diagnosis is not an emergency, and recognize that no two cases are the same. She escorts readers through every stage, from screening and prevention, through biopsy and diagnosis, to different kinds of treatment. She also discusses how breast cancer affects men (about 2,500 cases are diagnosed in American males annually), patients’ family members, and pregnancy. 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. Agent: Emma Parry, Janklow & Nesbit.
September 1, 2015
Chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the director of the Dubin Breast Center, both in New York City, Port has written the latest guide to navigating the world of breast cancer. She begins at the beginning, with mammography and its related controversies, still claiming it to be the best screening test available for the majority of women. She wends her way through diagnosis and treatment and ends with "The Future: Moving forward with hope and optimism." Within each section are numerous boxes highlighting targeted information: Need To Know, Myths, and A Word to the Wise. There are numbered lists of terminology and items such as risk factors. Each chapter ends with the Takeaway, a summary of key points. One appendix focuses on breast cancer myths and truths; others include FAQs, a glossary, and online resources. VERDICT Over the years there have been many excellent texts for patients from physicians in the field. Port's title is 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.--BLF
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.