The Breast Cancer Wars


Book Description

In this riveting narrative, Barron H. Lerner offers a superb medical and cultural history of our century-long battle with breast cancer. Revisiting the past, Lerner argues, can illuminate and clarify the dilemmas confronted by women with--and at risk for--the disease. Writing with insight and compassion, Lerner tells a compelling story of influential surgeons, anxious patients and committed activists. There are colorful portraits of the leading figures, ranging from the acerbic Dr. William Halsted, who pioneered the disfiguring radical mastectomy at the turn of the century to George Crile, Jr., the Cleveland surgeon who shocked the medical establishment by "going public" with his doubts about mastectomy, to Rose Kushner, a brash journalist who relentlessly educated American women about breast cancer. Lerner offers a fascinating account of the breast cancer wars: the insistent efforts of physicians to vanquish the "enemy"; the fights waged by feminists and maverick doctors to combat a paternalistic legacy that discouraged decision-making by patients; and the struggles of statisticians and researchers to generate definitive data in the face of the great risks and uncertainties raised by the disease. As easy as it is to demonize male physicians, the persistence of the radical mastectomy and other invasive treatments has had as much to do with the complicated scientific understandings of breast cancer as with sexism. In Lerner's hands, the fight against breast cancer opens a window on American medical practice over the last century: the pursuit of dramatic cures with sophisticated technologies, the emergence of patients' rights, the ethical and legal challenges raised by informed consent, and the limited ability of scientific knowledge to provide quick solutions for serious illnesses. A searching and profound work on an emotionally charged issue, The Breast Cancer Wars tells a story that remains of vital importance to modern breast cancer patients, their families and the clinicians who strive to treat and prevent this dreaded disease.




The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook


Book Description

This guide helps women decide whether to have a breast reconstruction procedure after mastectomy—and, if so, which one. For a decade The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook has been the best resource on this topic for women who have had a mastectomy. Equal parts science and support, it is filled with stories that illustrate the emotional and physical components of breast reconstruction. Readers will find advice about choosing a doctor and a procedure, insurance and payment issues, how to prepare for surgery, and what to expect during recovery. Expert commentary by physicians and insights from patients inform this book, as does the exhaustive research by the author, a two-time breast cancer survivor who has twice had reconstructive surgery. New in this edition are discussions of • the pros and cons of saline and silicone implants • solutions for post-lumpectomy cosmetic problems • new immediate-delayed reconstruction when post-mastectomy radiation may be required • the benefits and limitations of nipple-sparing mastectomy • considerations for direct-to-implant reconstruction • newly developed tissue flap procedures • who can best apply nipple and areola tattoos and why tattoos may not last • enriching fat with stem cells so it stays in the breast • patient-controlled tissue expansion • how insurance and health care reform affect reconstruction




Now What?


Book Description

All the information you need after mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery so that you can focus on what matters most: healing and staying well. Why am I so tired all the time? What about these drains? Should I worry about lymphedema? Your mastectomy (with or without reconstruction) doesnít end when you leave the operating room. In Now What?, Amy Curran Baker, an occupational therapist who has had a double mastectomy and direct to implant breast reconstruction, and her co-authors, two registered nurses, answer all of your post-surgery questions in this comprehensive and empowering guide. Now What? helps you: Consider your options and make the decisions that are best for you Deal with frozen shoulder syndrome, wound care, swollen lymph nodes, and other side effects of mastectomy Organize the nitty-gritty issues of wound management post-op care with helpful charts and logs Hear real stories from other breast cancer survivors who have had a mastectomy




Breast Cancer in Young Women


Book Description

This contributed book covers all aspects concerning the clinical scenario of breast cancer in young women, providing physicians with the latest information on the topic. Young women are a special subset of patients whose care requires dedicated expertise. The book, written and edited by internationally recognized experts who have been directly involved in the international consensus guidelines for breast cancer in young women, pays particular attention to how the disease and its planned treatment can be effectively communicated to young patients. Highly informative and carefully structured, it provides both theoretical and practice-oriented insight for practitioners and professionals involved in the different phases of treatment, from diagnosis to intervention, to follow-up – without neglecting the important role played by prevention.




Operative Approaches to Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy


Book Description

This text is designed to present a comprehensive overview of the evolution, oncologic safety, surgical approaches and outcomes of NSM. The book is targeted at general surgeons, dedicated breast surgeons, and plastic surgeons. There is focus for surgeons just beginning their use of NSM, as well as a review of patient selection criteria, operative approaches, reconstruction options, and management of complications. Chapters are written by experts in the performance and reconstruction of NSM. Chapters are supplemented with appropriate illustrations and photos of NSM techniques and reconstructions. Operative Approaches to Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy: Indications, Techniques, & Outcomes will become a valuable resource for surgeons, including those in-training, who have a focus on state-of-the-art breast cancer surgery.




Nipple Sparing Mastectomy


Book Description

This book describes in detail three different techniques for minimally invasive video-assisted breast surgery: nipple-sparing mastectomy with a hand-held external retractor, with a single-port device, and with robotic assistance. All three techniques can be employed for radical treatment of breast cancer or for risk reduction surgery, and the last two are brand new. The techniques are clearly explained with the aid of numerous high-quality illustrations. All surgical stages are covered in detail, and helpful information is provided on key aspects of surgical anatomy, diagnostic workup, instrumentation, and postoperative management. Nipple Sparing Mastectomy is the first manual to cover these techniques, which are likely to become standard in the field of oncological breast surgery. It will be invaluable for breast surgeons who are skilled in nipple-sparing mastectomy and oncoplastic techniques or are working in breast units that offer genetic counseling to high-risk patients.







Diseases of the Breast


Book Description

Completely revised and updated, and now in full color throughout, the Fourth Edition of this definitive reference is a must for all clinicians who treat breast diseases. Leading experts summarize the current knowledge of breast diseases, including their clinical features, management, underlying biologies, and epidemiologies. In addition to complete coverage of malignant breast diseases, benign diseases are discussed in relation to subsequent breast cancer development. The book reviews all major clinical trials and summarizes the information they provide on early detection and management of breast cancer. Close attention is also given to the increasing importance of molecular biology and genetics in this field. This edition features more than thirty new contributors, fourteen new or completely rewritten chapters, and more clinically oriented chapters. A companion Website will offer the fully searchable text and an image bank. Also included with this edition is the Anatomical Chart Company's Breast Anatomy and Disorders Pocket Guide. This durable, portable folding pocket guide provides a visual and textual overview of breast anatomy, disorders, and breast self-examination. With a write-on, wipe-off laminated surface, this guide is perfect for the on-the-go practitioner to show patients, caregivers, and families.




Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care


Book Description

In the United States, approximately 14 million people have had cancer and more than 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. However, more than a decade after the Institute of Medicine (IOM) first studied the quality of cancer care, the barriers to achieving excellent care for all cancer patients remain daunting. Care often is not patient-centered, many patients do not receive palliative care to manage their symptoms and side effects from treatment, and decisions about care often are not based on the latest scientific evidence. The cost of cancer care also is rising faster than many sectors of medicine--having increased to $125 billion in 2010 from $72 billion in 2004--and is projected to reach $173 billion by 2020. Rising costs are making cancer care less affordable for patients and their families and are creating disparities in patients' access to high-quality cancer care. There also are growing shortages of health professionals skilled in providing cancer care, and the number of adults age 65 and older--the group most susceptible to cancer--is expected to double by 2030, contributing to a 45 percent increase in the number of people developing cancer. The current care delivery system is poorly prepared to address the care needs of this population, which are complex due to altered physiology, functional and cognitive impairment, multiple coexisting diseases, increased side effects from treatment, and greater need for social support. Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis presents a conceptual framework for improving the quality of cancer care. This study proposes improvements to six interconnected components of care: (1) engaged patients; (2) an adequately staffed, trained, and coordinated workforce; (3) evidence-based care; (4) learning health care information technology (IT); (5) translation of evidence into clinical practice, quality measurement and performance improvement; and (6) accessible and affordable care. This report recommends changes across the board in these areas to improve the quality of care. Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis provides information for cancer care teams, patients and their families, researchers, quality metrics developers, and payers, as well as HHS, other federal agencies, and industry to reevaluate their current roles and responsibilities in cancer care and work together to develop a higher quality care delivery system. By working toward this shared goal, the cancer care community can improve the quality of life and outcomes for people facing a cancer diagnosis.




A Woman's Decision


Book Description

A Woman's Decision is an extraordinarily sensitive and authoritative book that will help women assess their options, familiarize themselves with the techniques used in treating breast cancer, and prepare themselves for what to expect medically and emotionally from reconstructive surgery. It combines complete and fully updated medical information with a detailed look at the emotional issues a woman must face when confronting breast cancer. Especially reassuring are the interviews conducted with women and their loved ones, discussion feelings and reactions at every stage, including the decision to seek reconstructive surgery. In easy-to-understand language, this new edition features the newest therapies available for breast cancer treatment including: Genetic and hormonal therapy Endoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery Image-guided biopsy and sentinel node biopsy Lumpectomy versus mastectomy Skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction Partial reconstruction after lumpectomy