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This book, written for the layperson, provides evidence-based material explaining the complex and evolving evidence of the benefits and limitations of breast cancer screening and the advances in breast cancer treatment.A diagnosis of breast cancer is one of the most emotionally charged statements a woman can hear from her doctor. Understanding the rapid changes in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is challenging, especially for those without a medical background. This book will help explain the strengths and weaknesses of breast cancer screening, breast cancer treatment, and ways of coping with the disease (for oneself or a loved one).Written for the layperson, this text explains the history of disease prevention with a specific emphasis on breast cancer detection and treatment. The main chapters weigh the pros and cons of well-known but often mystifying screening tests, such as mammograms; discuss the benefits and side effects of targeted hormone therapies; consider holistic regimens that complement traditional medicine; and explore the mental, physical, and emotional strain caused by breast cancer. Concluding with the current breast cancer screening guidelines recommended by leading organizations in disease prevention, Breast Cancer Facts, Myths, and Controversies not only engages with the history of breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, it looks ahead to a brighter future for survivors.

An explosive book that exposes the truth about breast cancer screening.For decades, women have been told that mammograms save lives. Yet many scientists say that this is in fact not true. Conspiracy of Hope reveals how breast cancer screening was introduced in the US before there was any good evidence it made any difference, and an unfounded belief in early detection caught on quickly in Canada and other developed countries. Today the evidence is starkly clear. Screening does more harm than good. Still women, and their doctors, continue to buy into a myth perpetuated by greed, fear, and wishful thinking.Conspiracy of Hope illustrates how a vortex of interests came together to make breast screening standard medical practice and why it's so hard to persuade them they are wrong. The radiologists, the imaging machinery manufacturers, and the pink ribbon charities are all part of that story. It is a tale of back-stabbing and intrigue, of exploiting fear and hope, while distorting and misrepresenting the evidence. Or simply ignoring it.

Cancer is a frightening word, but within the last decade, more research has led to better detection and treatment of breast cancer. Since both men and women are at risk for developing breast cancer, it is important for all young adults to learn about practices such as self-exams that may lead to early detection. This information is presented along with full-color photographs and informative charts to help readers better understand this disease that affects so many people.

A national bestseller! Breast cancer surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk offers a comprehensive and encouraging approach to breast care and breast cancer. Empower yourself with facts and strategies to understand your breasts, reduce your cancer risk, and open your eyes to interventions and treatments.Most women don't want to hear about breast cancer unless they have it and need to make some decisions, but these days news about breast cancer—the number one killer of women ages twenty to fifty-nine—is everywhere. Chances are you know someone who has had it. But did you know that choices you make every day bring you closer to breast cancer—or move you farther away? That there are ways to reduce your risk factors? And that many of the things you've heard regarding the causes of breast cancer are flat-out false?Based on Dr. Kristi Funk's experience as a board-certified breast cancer surgeon, she knows for a fact that women have the power to reduce breast cancer risk in dramatic ways. Many women believe that family history and genetics determine who gets breast cancer, but that's not true for most people. In fact, 87 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a single first-degree relative with breast cancer.This book will help you:Learn the breast-health basics that every woman should knowReduce your cancer risk and recurrence risk based on food choices and healthy lifestyle changes backed by rigorous scientific researchUnderstand the controllable and uncontrollable risk factors for breast cancerOutline your medical choices if you're at elevated risk for or are already navigating life with breast cancerThere have been few solid guidelines on how to improve your breast health, lower your risk of getting cancer, and make informed medical choices after treatment—until now. With her book available in 10 languages and in more than 30 countries, Dr. Funk is passionate about her mission of educating as many women as possible about what they can do to stop breast cancer before it starts.Praise for Breasts: The Owner's Manual:“Dr. Funk writes Breasts: The Owner's Manual just like she talks: with conviction, passion, and a laser focus on you.”—Dr. Mehmet Oz, Host of The Dr. Oz Show“Breasts: The Owner's Manual will become an indispensable and valued guide for women looking to optimize health and minimize breast illness.”—Debu Tripathy, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center“Breasts: The Owner's Manual not only provides a clear path to breast health, but a road that leads straight to your healthiest self. As someone who has faced breast cancer, I suggest you follow it.”—Robin Roberts, Co-anchor, Good Morning America

Do you have a close relative who has died from, or is experiencing, aggressive breast, ovarian or prostate cancer? Have they been tested for the BRCA gene mutation? Have you? At the age of 35 and following the death of her mother from ovarian cancer, Clarissa Foster was found to carry a harmful mutation in the BRCA2 gene which drastically increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. She searched for a book that would help her to understand the full extent of what it meant to carry a harmful mutation, the options available to her to lower her risk and, most importantly, how it would feel to undergo preventive surgery. Finding nothing that answered her needs she set about reading all the available medical literature and liaising with relevant medical professionals to answer her questions. This book is the result of that research and of the decision she took based on it - to have a full mastectomy and oophorectomy. Within the context of her own painful experience of family cancer and of elective surgery, Clarissa explains what the BRCA mutation is, what it signifies, what the individual's choices are and what the fall out can be in terms of a woman's body image, identity and sexuality.

Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer in older women. A number of adipose-derived and obesity-related factors have been shown to affect tumour cell growth. These include adipokines, insulin, IGF-1 and oestrogens. The majority of obesity-related postmenopausal breast cancers are oestrogen-dependent. Since the ovaries no longer produce oestrogens after menopause, and that circulating levels are negligible, it is evident that it is the oestrogens produced locally within the breast adipose that are responsible for the increased growth of breast cancer cells. Aromatase is the enzyme that converts androgens into oestrogens and its regulation is dependent on the activity of a number of tissue-specific promoters. Targeting oestrogen biosynthesis in obesity may be useful for the prevention of breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors are efficacious at treating postmenopausal breast cancer and recent studies suggest that they may also be useful in the prevention setting. However, these compounds inhibit the catalytic activity of aromatase and as a consequence lead to a number of undesirable side-effects, including arthralgia and possible cognitive defects due to inhibition of aromatase in the bone and brain, respectively. Novel therapies, such as those employed to treat obesity-associated disease, including anti-diabetics, may prove successful at inhibiting aromatase specifically within the breast. This SpringerBrief will explore all of these issues in depth and the authors are in a unique position to write about this topic, having extensive experience in the field of aromatase research.​

Humans are diurnal organisms whose biological clock and temporal organization depend on natural light/dark cycles. Changes in the photoperiod are a signal for seasonal acclimatization of physiological and immune systems as well as behavioral patterns. The invention of electrical light bulbs created more opportunities for work and leisure. However, exposure to artificial light at night (LAN) affects our biological clock, and suppresses pineal melatonin (MLT) production. Among its other properties, MLT is an antioncogenic agent, and therefore its suppression increases the risks of developing breast and prostate cancers (BC&PC). To the best of our knowledge, this book is the first to address the linkage between light pollution and BC&PC in humans. It explains several state-of-the-art theories, linking light pollution with BC&PC. It also illustrates research hypotheses about health effects of light pollution using the results of animal models and population-based studies.

Breast cancer is not only a burning public issue, but very soon we shall see genetic testing for a woman's predisposition to breast cancer. Many women will be demanding to know their degree of risk and will need counselling to cope with that information. This book is particularly aimed at primary health care professionals, including physicians, medical assistants, nurses and counsellors, who daily deal with questions from women concerned about their risk of developing breast cancer. To answer such questions, this book has combined a guide to identifying women at higher risk to breast cancer, with a balanced review of approaches which aim to reduce that risk. The book provides practical general measures which may reduce risk for women at average risk. For women at clearly increased risk various protective options with different levels of efficacy and acceptability are discussed. Central to the book is the patient-centered view. We need to face reality that it still will take many years before the current clinical trials of preventive measures provide meaningful results. Meanwhile, women who seek to diminish their risk of breast cancer need all the available information. They must be given full responsibility to make an informed decision on their own health care. Reducing Breast Cancer Risk in Women is a practical handbook, technicalities have been deliberately kept to a minimum, making it concise and easy to read.

Breast cancer remains the most common invasive cancer among women. The primary patients of breast cancer are adult women who are approaching or have reached menopause; 90 percent of new cases in U.S. women in 2009 were diagnosed at age 45 or older. Growing knowledge of the complexity of breast cancer stimulated a transition in breast cancer research toward elucidating how external factors may influence the etiology of breast cancer. Breast Cancer and the Environment reviews the current evidence on a selection of environmental risk factors for breast cancer, considers gene-environment interactions in breast cancer, and explores evidence-based actions that might reduce the risk of breast cancer. The book also recommends further integrative research into the elements of the biology of breast development and carcinogenesis, including the influence of exposure to a variety of environmental factors during potential windows of susceptibility during the full life course, potential interventions to reduce risk, and better tools for assessing the carcinogenicity of environmental factors. For a limited set of risk factors, evidence suggests that action can be taken in ways that may reduce risk for breast cancer for many women: avoiding unnecessary medical radiation throughout life, avoiding the use of some forms of postmenopausal hormone therapy, avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity, and minimizing weight gain. Breast Cancer and the Environment sets a direction and a focus for future research efforts. The book will be of special interest to medical researchers, patient advocacy groups, and public health professionals.

The many advances in breast cancer research, as well as the large quantity of published material, make it very difficult to gain insight into the global aspects of cancer management. To follow and understand all the new developments is becoming a major challenge. For this reason, the editors decided to bring together a group of top researchers in breast cancer to provide a comprehensive, yet readable conceptual review of the state of the art of breast cancer diagnosis and therapy. The proposal to focus the review on the quantitative assessment of the risk at diagnosis, the determination of which may permit selective therapies for individual patients, was met with enthusiastic approval, resulting in the present volume with contributions by the leading investigators in the field. While the volume relating to diagnosis, published re­ cently, focused on efforts leading to refinement at diagnosis of risk criteria sensitive enough to reliably distinguish the low- and high-risk categories, the second volume, by provid­ ing a review of the main problems and results of therapy given to high-risk patients, can be considered as a continua­ tion of the first book. A refined risk assessment at diagnosis and the application of the most suitable treatments to well­ selected individuals are the most important steps towards avoiding the present worrisome reality of overtreating the low risk and undertreating the high-risk patients. The first few chapters of the present volume offer an insight into the general management of early breast cancer.

The volume raises attention to the need of a completely new approach to breast cancer based on the knowledge collected on early breast cancer in the past two decades. The chapters are contributed by experts of all the fields participating in the clinical research and care of breast cancer. The practical importance of such a book is underlined by the increasing number of breast cancer cases, and also the increasing proportion of early stage-cases. The ultimate goal of the book is to point to the heterogeneous nature of the disease which is more striking and has more importance in care at the very early stages than at the more advanced stages. The book recommends the utilization of all the information provided by multimodality imaging and special pathological methods, a new classification system and therapeutic guidelines since early breast cancers should not be treated based on experience obtained with palpable tumors. No similar book has been yet released to the market. The book is written for all the members of the team participating in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, clinical and radiation oncologists), but may be useful for medical students and residents too. The chapters are illustrated with didactic pictures, and special emphasis is given to provide a peep into the practice of the special procedures for the careful examination and individualized therapy of each case.

The first guide to all surgical and nonsurgical options for women with a high risk for breast cancer. Advances in genetic testing and risk assessment have changed the face of medicine, but with them has come a Pandora's box of dilemmas. Imagine discovering you had a significant risk for developing breast cancer. What would you do? Through the incredible true stories of five young friends, as well as interviews with more than seventy top breast cancer experts, health writer Dina Roth Port addresses the universal questions of women everywhere who have watched family members suffer from the disease and wondered,'Am I next?'Full of practical information, Previvors is the first comprehensive book to guide women through the difficult process of determining their risk, weighing the options, and coping with the emotions of deciding to undergo surgery. Readers will learn: •The pros and cons of getting tested for the BRCA gene •How to decide between surgical or nonsurgical options •The latest research in breast cancer surveillance •The advanced new world of breast reconstruction •How to overcome body image and sex issues post-surgery, and more From navigating health insurance coverage to finding the right medical team, Previvors is an invaluable resource for women facing decisions about their risk and future health.Watch a Video

This unique and important guidebook is a single, comprehensive source of information and advice to help women (and some men) at high risk for breast and for ovarian cancer because of family history and genetic profile. One part memoir, three parts'how to'manual, Positive Results explains in a clear and steady manner the myths and realities of'the breast cancer genes.'It lays out all the options in easy-to-follow, compassionate language. It will help women and men decide if they want to pursue genetic testing, guide them in interpreting their test results, and give them a sound basis for making the life-saving decisions required to manage their risks. Authors Joi Morris and Dr. Ora Karp Gordon cover all of the latest medical options, including genetic testing for breast cancer risk, breast cancer surveillance, assessing risk, mastectomy and breast reconstruction techniques, ovarian cancer surveillance, surgery, managing menopause, and cancer risks in men who carry mutations on BRCA genes. Along the way, Joi tells her personal story and that of other women and men who have made the gut-wrenching decisions required to survive in this world of astronomical risk. At the age of forty-two, Joi learned that she has a genetic mutation on a gene known as BRCA2. The test results meant that her risk of getting breast cancer could be as high as 84 percent by age seventy, and that her risk for ovarian cancer was also high. Compounding her risk was the fact that her mother had developed breast cancer in her forties. After much research and consultation, the result of which is this book, Joi made the difficult decision of undergoing prophylactic mastectomies. This straightforward and practical approach combined with the poignant personal experience of a woman at risk facing these challenging decisions will provide readers with the feeling that they have had the benefit of a long conversation with both a trusted physician and a friend who has just gone through the same uncertainties they are facing.