Waking Up, Fighting Back: The Politics of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the U.S., and its incidence is rising, observes Altman, a cancer information specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Herself a breast cancer survivor, she endorses mammography as the best method available for breast cancer screening and early detection, and warns that too few women are getting mammograms. Although she devotes too little attention to alternative nontoxic therapies, her practical, informative report carefully reviews the risk factors for breast cancer; assesses the value of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation; and discusses research into breast cancer prevention. Besides surveying grassroots support and advocacy groups and the emerging national movement calling for more federal funding for basic research and preventive efforts, she includes testimonies by women who were patronized or dismissed by their doctors, women who were misdiagnosed and mistreated. Their wrenching, often infuriating stories will jolt readers into taking responsibility for the care and control of their bodies. (Apr.)