Advanced Breast Cancer: A Guide to Living with Metastatic Disease, 2nd Edition (Patient-Centered Guides)

An estimated two million Americans alive today have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Each one of them lives with the fear of recurrence, and for good reason: for at least a third of women diagnosed with breast cancer, the disease will eventually spread. When this happens most people assume it means an immediate death sentence. The reality is often different, as explained in Advanced Breast Cancer: A Guide to Living with Metastatic Disease. Newly updated and revised, this is the only book on breast cancer that deals honestly with the realities of metastatic disease, yet offers hope and comfort.

All aspects of dealing with the disease are covered, including:

• Coping with the shock of recurrence
• Seeking information and making treatment decisions
• Communicating effectively with medical personnel
• Managing pain and symptoms of disease progression, as well as treatment of side effects
• Getting emotional support from other patients, friends, and family
• Finding new ways to discover meaning in the midst of adversity

Frank and moving descriptions from those who have been touched by metastatic disease make their stories meaningful to anyone who faces a life-threatening illness, whether they are talking about making end-of- life decisions or keeping hope alive.

Women with metastatic breast cancer generally go on to live with their disease, often for many years. Through facing the reality and gathering information and support, the time that they have can be full and meaningful.

Of the dozens of books and other resources dealing with breast cancer, few discuss the realities of metastatic disease. Advanced Breast Cancer gives a voice to the side of breast cancer no one wants to hear about, with stories of extraordinary ordinary people, forced by circumstance to call on resources in themselves and their families they never knew they possessed. It remains the only book on the market to offer authoritative information and hope as it empowers those who live with the challenges of metastatic disease.

This comprehensive new guide provides updated resources and treatment developments, including novel formulation of conventional drugs, as well as the latest therapies being developed in cancer research labs today.