Customer Reviews

The Truth About Breast Cancer Risk Assessment

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Dealing with breast cancer or the threat of it has been a way of life in our family. Both my aunts and mother have struggled with this disease. It claimed the lives of my aunts and my mother has one of those incredibly high individual risk assessments that cause us all to pause when it her exam time rolls around.

Whether medical journals or Ladies Home Journal, if it involves breast cancer, breast imaging, breast cancer dectection or treatment, I consume the information with a voracious appitite. Unfortunately, not all of it is worth filtering through but every now and then you hit pay-dirt.

Very recently that happened and would encourage others interested in the subject of breast cancer to read the new book "The Truth About Breast Cancer Risk Assessment", by Alan B. Hollingsworth, M.D. If you have ever wondered about all the data which comes flooding out of breast cancer studies which seem to contradict themselves, or you have been tempted to believe detecting (much less treating) breast cancer can be taught by using the cookie cutter method then this is a must read.

Although the book is crammed full of numbers and rather abstract mathmatical concepts, the reader quickly gains a sense of the deeper underlying message that like the X-Files - the truth is out there BUT you must realize that what you first encounter or are led to believe as true,may not be.

This book is a dose of reality in a world which is far too often looking for a quick a fix and sound bite for the 6 o'clock news about some revolutionary breakthrough in breast cancer which may or may not really be significant.

I consider myself a student on this topic and try to learn as much as I can. Anyone interested in the subject of breast cancer should read this book. You will have a completely new set of skills to filter the data you encounter from this point on.

I bought this book because of Dr. Hollingsworth's reputation as a physician and a communicator; I am recommending it because everyone, at some time in her life, will want more information concerning her own... or a loved one's... breast cancer risk. There is good news: It is largely quantifiable.

"My mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer; am I at increased risk? What about my (daughter/sister) ?"

"I am at higher risk of developing breast cancer; what can I do to increase my chances of surviving this disease?"

These are tough questions which until now have too often gone unanswered.

Even if your own identifiable breast cancer risk is minimal, the odds are that you will have a friend or loved one who will be forced to deal with this issue. Given the existing lack of unanimity within the medical community as to even the diagnosis & treatment of breast cancer, it is not surprising that we are faced with such conflicting information about our risk of developing the disease. Highly-touted statistics notwithstanding, there is NO one-size-fits-all answer. When your health is at stake, statistical tautologies are not helpful.

Dr. Hollingsworth's book is written for clinicians as well as lay people. It explains in understandable language what you need to know to make the right choices. This book arms the reader with the knowledge to ask the right questions & the confidence to seek the best alternatives for her own unique situation.

There is a peace of mind to be gained from reading Dr. Hollingsworth's book. It places the mysteries, fables, facts & options re: risk assessment in clear perspective. It answers the question, "What on earth do I do now! "

Once you have read this book, I suspect that you will want to give copies to all the important women in your life.