cover image Gilda's Disease: Sharing Personal Experiences and a Medical Perspective on Ovarian Cancer

Gilda's Disease: Sharing Personal Experiences and a Medical Perspective on Ovarian Cancer

M. Steven Piver. Prometheus Books, $30.98 (184pp) ISBN 978-1-57392-089-6

After the death of comedienne Gilda Radner from ovarian cancer in 1989, her husband, Gene Wilder, contacted Piver, chief of gynecological oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., to learn more about the disease that killed his wife. In this overview of ovarian cancer, Piver outlines known causes, preventive measures, symptoms and available treatments for this disease. Interspersed with the medical information are excerpts from Radner's book, It's Always Something, written when she was under treatment; personal comments by Wilder; and letters from other women who have been treated for this condition. Because in its early stages, ovarian cancer can be symptom-free, this straightforward, textbook-like presentation is useful. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.) FYI: All royalties will be contributed to two agencies for women with ovarian cancer: Gilda's Club and the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry.