Melanoma: Prevention, Detection, and Treatment [Paperback]

Professor Catherine M. Poole (Author), DuPont Guerry IV M.D. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300073623 | ISBN-13: 978-0300073621 | Publication Date: April 20, 1998 | Edition: 1

Melanoma, a dangerous and potentially lethal form of skin cancer, is on the rise. Yet melanoma is readily detectable and curable in its early stages, and it is a disease that often can be prevented by avoiding excessive sun exposure. This text is a complete guide to melanoma for anyone newly diagnozed with this disease and for others who are concerned about detecting and preventing it. Featuring colour photographs that show normal and malignant spots on the skin, and medical information on getting proper treatment and lowering the risk of developing the disease, the book is filled with facts that can save lives. Health writer Catherine M. Poole, also a melanoma survivor, teams up with world-renowned melanoma expert Dr. DuPont Guerry IV to provide practical advice for patients, their families and their health care providers. Readers should find in this book the answers to such important questions as: what do early and late melanoma look like?; when is a mole a problem?; is sunscreen the best way to prevent melanoma?; who is most likely to get melanoma?; what does the pathology report on a biopsy mean?; are there different treatments? which is most effective?; is there hope when melanoma has spread within the body? ; and where can accurate melanoma information be found on the Internet?.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

With melanoma on the rise in the United States, this timely guide offers well-researched information and practical advice that will be useful to the patient, family, or caregiver. Medical writer Poole, a melanoma survivor, and Guerry, a medical oncologist and melanoma specialist, discuss the medical and emotional aspects of skin cancer with an emphasis on detection, prevention, and current treatment options. Other highlights include specific questions to ask the doctor, good illustrated coverage of the melanoma staging process, and how to read a pathology report. Also noteworthy is the section on coping skills and support resources. Few current patient-oriented books (e.g., Barney Kenet and Patricia Lawler-Kenet's Saving Your Skin: Early Detection and Treatment of Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers, LJ 5/1/94) are solely devoted to the topic of melanoma. A valuable contribution to a consumer health collection.?Gail Hendler, New York Academy of Medicine
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Poole blends her own experiences with melanoma, those of other patients whom she interviewed, and medical and scientific information from physician coauthor Guerry and other doctors in a work of lay and medical information that saliently lacks the padding often found in similar books. She tells how melanoma differs from other cancers and describes the various types of melanoma. She clearly explains how to self-examine for moles and other skin conditions that may become melanotic and what to do if a problem is suspected. She makes diagnostic methods and medical and surgical treatments and the odds of their success all comprehensible. "Don't delay!" she enjoins, or hope that the mole or other blemish will just go away. Practical illustrations add much to her words, and many will benefit from the sympathetic chapter "Tending to Your Spirits" and several appendixes of information and resources. William Beatty --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (April 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300073623
• ISBN-13: 978-0300073621
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical information clearly presented, August 19, 2000

By 

Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Melanoma: Prevention, Detection, and Treatment (Paperback)

Written by a journalist who herself had melanoma and a medical doctor, this concise book aims at helping those who have contracted melanoma or who fear they might. It is also valuable for those whose spouse or other loved one has this frightening disease.

Poole follows the plan implied in the title, showing how melanoma might be prevented, how it can be detected as early as possible (which is absolutely essential in this disease, because it is the spread, the metastasis, that kills), and how it can be treated. She adds some resources including web sites, helpful organizations, publications, and a glossary. The photos showing what melanoma looks like include shots of moles that may be spots where melanoma may begin. The prints are ugly and scary, but very helpful. There is some technical material, especially about the staging system for melanoma in Appendix A, but for the most part the emphasis is on practical information and guidance presented in a straight forward and readable manner.

I wish the information in this book had been widely available twenty years ago so that my mother who died from the disease might have understood what the spots on her skin were and had them removed before they spread to her brain. For myself, I note that of the five most important factors in gauging who is most likely to get melanoma (p. 21), I have all five.

The good news is, although once it has metastasized melanoma is a very deadly disease, if it is caught in time, the cure rate is very high, in some case approaching 100% (p. 39).

What's beautiful about this book is that the information it contains will surely save lives.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful Book, November 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Melanoma: Prevention, Detection, and Treatment (Paperback)

This book was very useful in understanding melanoma. My mother had the disease and I have many moles that on occasion worry me. THe photos and text dispelled many of the myths I had heard about getting melanoma and now I know what to look for when I worry about a mole changing. I don't panic about my moles as much and now I'm armed to discuss anything with my doctor in an intelligent manner.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for understanding what melanoma is., April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Melanoma: Prevention, Detection, and Treatment (Paperback)

This book was very helpful in explaining what melanoma is, what questions to ask my doctor and what the answers meant. It was recommended that I have some "suspicious" moles checked and read the book to gain a better understanding of what they were looking for and the consequences of what might be found. As a layman it's hard to know where to begin and what you should be asking. This book gave me the answers - I strongly recommend it.