Fighting Cancer with Knowledge and Hope : A Guide for Patients, Families, and Health Care Providers

by Richard C. Frank, M.D.; Illustrations by Gail V. Parsons

• ISBN13: 9780300151022
• ISBN10: 0300151020
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2009-04-21
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Anyone who is diagnosed with cancer receives a frightening blow, and in many cases the diagnosis is accompanied by a bewildering array of treatment choices. Dr. Richard C. Frank empowers patients by unlocking the mysteries of the disease and explaining in plain language the ways to confront and combat it. He explains

Author Biography

Richard C. Frank, MD, is director of cancer research, Whittingham Cancer Center, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, CT, and medical director, Mid-Fairfield Hospice, Wilton, CT.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Exposing Cancer
Understanding Cancer	p. 3
When First Diagnosed: What You Need to Learn
The Three Essential Properties of Cancer
Understanding How Cancer Spreads
Diagnosis, Staging, Curability	p. 23
Making a Diagnosis of Cancer
Determining the Extent or Stage of Cancer
Estimating Curability
Understanding Specific Cancers	p. 54
Carcinomas
Blood and Lymph Cancers
Sarcomas
Brain Tumors
Why Cancer Develops	p. 85
Cancer and the Blueprint for Life
Family Cancers
Cancer and the Environment
Why Do Only Some People Get Cancer?
Attacking Cancer
How Cancer Grows: The Basis of Cancer Treatments	p. 117
Cancer Develops over Decades
Cancer Grows by Organized Chaos
Cancer Can Grow Unpredictably
Cancer Is Survival of the Fittest
The Devil Is in the Details
Cancer Treatments Revolve around Metastasis	p. 129
After Surgery: "Why Do I Need Chemo If I'm Cancer Free?"
Eye on the Prize: Complete Cancer Eradication
When Surgery Is Not the First Step
Metastatic Disease: Cure versus Control
How a Treatment Strategy Is Chosen
Cancer in the Older Individual
The Role of Surgery in Metastatic Cancer
The Role of Radiation Therapy in Metastatic Cancer
Cancer Treatments at Work	p. 159
A New Era of Hope
Targeting the Lifelines of Cancer
Chemotherapy
Targeted Therapies
Hormone Therapies
Radiation Therapy
Why Do Cancer Treatments Sometimes Fail?
Get Prepared to Survive	p. 191
Survivorship and the Power of People
Survival Is Spelled LMNOP
Final Thoughts
Types of Cancer Medicine	p. 205
For More Information	p. 209
Glossary	p. 213
References	p. 219
Index	p. 236
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