Living Well Beyond Breast Cancer: A Survivor's Guide for When Treatment Ends and the Rest of Your Life Begins

This expanded second edition includes updated information reflecting advances in breast cancer treatment made in the past decade. Weiss, a physician specializing in breast cancer and founder of Breastcancer.org, and her mother, a writer and breast cancer survivor, have included new chapters on “mind-fog,” bone health, intimacy and sex, as well as the latest on hormone therapies, drugs and other treatments, and diagnostic technology. The text also covers topics that seem more suited to those who have been recently diagnosed or are still undergoing treatment (i.e., choosing a physician, hair loss, breast reconstruction and traveling the maze of scans and tests). Some survivors may prefer to race to the later chapters, which focus on life style choices, environmental concerns and genetic factors, homing in and preventing and managing recurrence. The authors explain that while several of the most influential risk factors (family history, being a woman and getting older) can't be controlled, women have the power to modify such other risks as weight gain (a hazard for recurrence as well as lymphedema), exercise, diet, smoking and use of alcohol. Women at any stage of the breast cancer journey, including those grappling with emotional issues surrounding the chance of recurrence, will benefit from the Weisses' up-to-date and uplifting outlook. (Jan.)