A Breast Cancer Alphabet

A definitive and approachable guide to life during, and after, breast cancer The biggest risk factor for breast cancer is simply being a woman. Madhulika Sikka's A Breast Cancer Alphabet offers a new way to live with and plan past the hardest diagnosis that most women will ever receive: a personal, practical, and deeply informative look at the road from diagnosis to treatment and beyond. What Madhulika Sikka didn't foresee when initially diagnosed, and what this book brings to life so vividly, are the unexpected and minute challenges that make navigating the world of breast cancer all the trickier. A Breast Cancer Alphabet is an inspired reaction to what started as a personal predicament. This A-Z guide to living with breast cancer goes where so many fear to tread: sex (S is for Sex - really?), sentimentality (J is for Journey - it's a cliché we need to dispense with), hair (H is for Hair - yes, you can make a federal case of it) and work (Q is for Quitting - there'll be days when you feel like it). She draws an easy-to-follow, and quite memorable, map of her travels from breast cancer neophyte to seasoned veteran. As a prominent news executive, Madhulika had access to the most cutting edge data on the disease's reach and impact. At the same time, she craved the community of frank talk and personal insight that we rely on in life's toughest moments. This wonderfully inventive book navigates the world of science and story, bringing readers into Madhulika's mind and experience in a way that demystifies breast cancer and offers new hope for those living with it.

Two years after she underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Barbara Bradfield's aggressive breast cancer had recurred and spread to her lungs. The outlook was grim. Then she took part in Genentech's clinical trials for a new drug. Five years later she remains cancer-free. Her-2 is the biography of Herceptin, the drug that provoked dramatic responses in Barbara Bradfield and other women in the trials and that offers promise for hundreds of thousands of breast cancer patients. Unlike chemotherapy or radiation, Herceptin has no disabling side effects. It works by inactivating Her-2/neu--a protein that makes cancer cells grow especially quickly-- produced by a gene found in 25 to 30 percent of all breast tumors. Herceptin caused some patients' cancers to disappear completely; in others, it slowed the progression of the disease and gave the women months or years they wouldn't otherwise have had. Herceptin is the first treatment targeted at a gene defect that gives rise to cancer. It marks the beginning of a new era of treatment for all kinds of cancers. Robert Bazell presents a riveting account of how Herceptin was born. Her-2 is a story of dramatic discoveries and strong personalities, showing the combination of scientific investigation, money, politics, ego, corporate decisions, patient activism, and luck involved in moving this groundbreaking drug from the lab to a patient's bedside. Bazell's deft portraits introduce us to the remarkable people instrumental in Herceptin's history, including Dr. Dennis Slamon, the driven UCLA oncologist who played the primary role in developing the treatment; Lily Tartikoff, wife of television executive Brandon Tartikoff, who tapped into Hollywood money and glamour to help fund Slamon's research; and Marti Nelson, who inspired the activists who lobbied for a "compassionate use" program that would allow women outside the clinical trials to have access to the limited supplies of Herceptin prior to FDA approval of the drug. And throughout there are the stories of the heroic women with advanced breast cancer who volunteered for the trials, risking what time they had left on an unproven treatment. Meticulously researched, written with clarity and compassion, Her-2 is masterly reporting on cutting-edge science.

Healing Together is written especially for the adult and child grieving together. Age does not make it easier or harder to cope with the anguish of losing a loved one. It is a time to grieve. This alphabet book on recovery from grief is presented from the perspective of the adult and that of the child. It is not written in a sequential format, but rather, the thoughts, reflections, and lessons stem from the collected experiences of mother, Karen Chouinard, and daughter, Holly Carpenter, over a span of many years, from the earliest stages of mourning to the present. As an added tool, Karen and Holly have listed additional words to encourage thoughtful and meaningful discussions between the adult and child, both of whom are embarking on their own personal journeys from grief to healing. Scripture has also been included as references for spiritual encouragement.

If you or a friend have been recently diagnosed with cancer, this book is intended to be an oasis from the medical procedures, tough decisions, and daily chores of getting well. This book is here to give you a safe place in the middle of the storm, and to build your strength and courage along the way. Be hopeful, be safe, and be brave. Each day is a new adventure and the twenty-six words from the alphabet are here to be your ally. This book is designed to help you be mindful during this time of treatment. It follows a similar pattern of my book, Breast Cancer: A-Z Mindful Practices. It is designed to help you think, cope, respond, and practice self-help tools that will make this journey a little easier for you along your path. You might even want to think of it as a flashlight in your tool-box. It will help you explore, examine, and expand your awareness of the many ways of coping with this challenging disease.

Explores the hidden costs of the pink ribbon as an industry and analyzes the social impact on women living with breast cancer -- the stereotypes and the stigmas.

Daring, sly, and unlike any other book you’ve read, this memoir-in-poems tackles cancer with a bawdy wit guaranteed to “make you laugh in cancer’s face” (Marisa Acocella Marchetto, author of Cancer Vixen). As a vibrant woman in her late thirties, a mother of two, poet, artist, and teacher, Micki Myers decided to confront her cancer diagnosis head on with the sharpest tools in her arsenal: namely, her sense of humor and unbridled poetic license. The result is a charming, poignant, laugh-out-loud collection that hits all the highs (morphine) and lows (everything else) of being a cancer patient and surviving with your spirit intact (even if your boobs are not). It’s Probably Nothing. . .* provides the perfect blend of wit and pathos to help you or a loved one achieve much-needed perspective on this frightening journey, whether recently diagnosed or reveling in remission. From losing your hair (even, ahem, down there) and gaining two bouncy silicone strangers, to the pitfalls of marijuana therapy and the endless chemo-room muzak “that makes you think / sur­vival might be overrated,” Myers reminds you that you’re not alone and that it’s okay to laugh.

This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

Cancer. It's a word that affects us all. We all know someone who has fought cancer and won, or fought cancer and lost.This book is one way Rita Pamplin is fighting back. Her letters have kept her motivated. Now she's ready to share them with the world in hope that others fighting the good fight can gain some hope, wisdom, and encouragement from someone who's been there.With real and raw emotions, Rita takes you on the journey with her. And when you're finished reading, you'll realize that words do have power, some people never give up, and the most amazing strength can come from those battling the worst war.

The fourth annual American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) conference on diet, nutrition and cancer was held at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D. C. , September 2~3, 1993. In keeping with present concerns and in line with current trends, the theme was "Diet and Breast Cancer. " This proceedings volume is comprised of chapters from the platform presentations of the two day conference and abstracts from the poster session held at the end of the first day. Experimentally, there is sufficient evidence to support a relationship between dietary fat and the risk of breast cancer. A meta-analysis was provided by data from 114 experiments with over 10,000 animals, divided into groups fed ad libitum on diets with different levels or sources of fat, or different levels of energy restriction. This exercise suggested that linoleic acid was a major determinant of mammary tumor development but that other fatty acids also enhanced mammary tumor development in animals. However, as mentioned by several speakers, results from epidemiological studies often are conflicting, thus leading to confusion among both health professionals and the public. Surveys of specific populations which have migrated from countries with low breast cancer rates to those with higher rates are often some of the most compelling studies with respect to a high fat diet-breast cancer association. Nonetheless, various cohort and prospective studies, some quite large, did not appear to show a relationship between consumption of fat (any type) and breast cancer.

The Second Edition of TNM Staging Atlas with Oncoanatomy has been updated to include all new cancer staging information from the Seventh Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. The atlas presents cancer staging in a highly visual rapid-reference format, with clear full-color diagrams and TNM stages by organ site. The illustrations are three-dimensional, three-planar cross-sectional presentations of primary anatomy and regional nodal anatomy. They show the anatomic features identifiable on physical and/or radiologic examination and the anatomic extent of cancer spread which is the basis for staging. A color code indicates the spectrum of cancer progression at primary sites (T) and lymph node regions (N). The text then rapidly reviews metastatic spread patterns and their incidence. For this edition, CT or MRI images have been added to all site-specific chapters to further detail cancer spread and help plan treatment. Staging charts have been updated to reflect changes in AJCC guidelines, and survival curves from AJCC have been added.