THE BREAST CANCER SURVIVAL MANUAL

Reassuring and realistic, this guide offers basic, immediate information for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Physician Link conveys a sense of urgency in the second edition of his guide: in a most frightening and confusing time, women must gather their strength and seize the moment to understand the physiology of their particular situation and its ramifications for treatment—then aggressively seek out the resources that will optimize their chances of cure. Questions of why and how this has happened usually have no answer, counsels Link. But he can offer the reassurance that “most women today are cured of breast cancer. They undergo treatment, become survivors, and go on.” Link first explains that, while breast cancer is urgent, there is time (usually several weeks) to confirm a diagnosis, investigate treatment possibilities and resources, and formulate a plan. Treatment, he points out, is no longer sequential (first surgery, then radiation, then chemo); rather, it will more likely involve multiple specialists working in concert. Furthermore, Link emphasizes the importance of making sure that the treatment team acknowledges the tremendous variability of breast cancer as it acts within each individual woman, and designing the therapy accordingly.

Help with physical, emotional, psychological, and social issues abounds herein—a well-rounded, authoritative resource.