Take Charge of Your Breast Cancer

Over the past decade, breast cancer advocates have encouraged women to learn about their disease and get involved in their treatment decisions. Link, an oncologist, has followed up his first book, The Breast Cancer Survival Manual, with one that underscores this message. He builds a strong case for taking charge of one's treatment by explaining ways that well-meaning physicians, as well as HMOs and pharmaceutical companies, can sometimes prevent women from getting the best care possible. He also stresses a patient's right to be treated as a whole person, with emotional, spiritual and sexual needs. In ""Your Doctor is Human, Too,"" perhaps the most illuminating chapter, he discusses his take on physicians who are incapable of empathy. Link goes on to explain in detail how breast cancer develops, how breast cancers vary, and how to weigh the risks and benefits of different therapies. Link encourages women to see their diagnosis as a gift that can ""enhance"" their life by helping them to live more fully. Some survivors will bristle at the idea that breast cancer can in any way be positive, though others will likely agree that having breast cancer is a transforming experience. Link's warm and encouraging tone, as well as the nuanced information he offers, should, as the book's title suggests, help readers obtain individualized treatment in a health care system that is often dehumanizing. This is a welcome follow-up to Link's essential first book. (Oct.)