Leifer J., Leifer L.L. After you hear it's cancer: a guide to navigating the difficult journey ahead

Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. — 320 p. — ISBN: 1442246251, 978-1-4422-4625-6, 978-1-4422-4626-3.In 2014, an estimated 1.66 million people will receive a diagnosis of cancer. They will join a pool of 13.7 million Americans already living with a history of cancer. Almost 600,000 Americans will die from cancer. For some, cancer will be only a short divergence. For others, however, it will be a dramatic fork in the road. And for still others, the beginning of the end of the line.This book guides cancer patients along their journey where no one knows the duration or the destination. Divided into the three parts of being a cancer patient — the diagnosis, initial treatment, and on to survivorship — the book will help the newly diagnosed cancer patient navigate a complex health care system, make astute decisions at difficult junctures, and manage the emotional turbulence that can rock his or her world. Lastly, it shares the story of how the author and his wife, as well as other cancer patients, have confronted their disease.After You Hear It s Cancer offers a step-by-step guide for recently diagnosed patients and their families as they embark on this arduous journey. The authors integrate cutting-edge research with the perspectives of numerous cancer patients to provide an empathic, but pragmatic handbook that should be required reading for every cancer patient.Prologue: A Life-Changing ExperienceDiagnosis And Treatment Planning
A Definitive Diagnosis: Setting the Stage for Treatment
How Prognosis Influences Your Treatment
How to Select Your Doctors and Treatment Facilities
Genetic Testing in Diagnosis and Treatment
Making Sense of Your Treatment Options
Understanding Clinical Trials
The Importance of Getting a Second OpinionDuring Active Treatment
The Emotional Roller Coaster of Cancer
Methods to Minimize Side Effects
Make Nutrition and Exercise Part of Your Treatment Plan
What to Expect from Pain Control
How to Manage the Cost of Cancer
When Considering Complementary Therapies
The Role of Your CaregiversAfter Initial Treatments Are Over
When Initial Treatment Proves Insufficient
The Challenges of Surviving Cancer
Difficult Decisions at the End of the Journey
Choosing to Stop Treatment and the Role of Hospice
A Final Word from Lori