Early Detection Strategies
Chapter 8Early Detection Strategies THE NEXT BEST THING TO PREVENTING CANCER is catching it early, when it’s more likely to be cured. That’s why surveillance is so important. It doesn’t…
Defining Risk
Chapter 3Defining Risk DO YOU WORRY about getting malaria? Probably not if you live in the United States, where our risk of that disease is slim. But like many women,…
Managing Lifestyle Choices
Chapter 14Managing Lifestyle Choices WE CAN’T NEGATE THE FACT THAT AGE, inherited predisposition, and other factors beyond our control increase cancer risk. But cancers don’t develop overnight. Carcinogenesis, the multistep…
Hereditary Cancer: What’s Swimming in Your Gene Pool?
Chapter 4Hereditary Cancer What’s Swimming in Your Gene Pool? MUCH OF YOUR APPEARANCE results from traits you inherit from your parents. You can thank them for your cute dimples, stubby…
Dealing with Menopause and Quality-of-Life Issues
Chapter 13Dealing with Menopause and Quality-of-Life Issues OUR OVARIES PRODUCE about 90 percent of the estrogen, progesterone, and other reproductive hormones that keep our bones strong, provide some protection from…
Chemoprevention
Chapter 9Chemoprevention IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING OPTIONS to reduce your cancer risk, you have two choices: chemoprevention, as described in this chapter, and surgery (chapters 10 and 12). Taking chemoprevention medications…
Decoding Your Test Results
Chapter 7Decoding Your Test Results THE WAIT IS OVER. You’ve wondered, worried, and anxiously anticipated your test results. Now you’re about to find out whether you’re indeed at high risk…
Genetic Counseling
Chapter 5Genetic Counseling AS GENETIC SCIENCE brings us closer to personalized medicine, the need for specialized health care is increasing. One such specialty is genetic counseling, the process of evaluating…
Genetic Testing: Facing Your Hereditary Horoscope
Chapter 6Genetic Testing Facing Your Hereditary Horoscope IT’S AN AGE-OLD QUESTION: If you could see into your future, would you want to? A better question might be: If you could…
