| Preface | p. xvii |
| Acknowledgments | p. xix |
| List of Illustrations | p. xxi |
| Facing the Diagnosis | p. 1 |
| Survival Statistics | |
| Ten things you need to do before deciding on treatment | |
| How to proceed | |
| Judging your attitude | |
| Thoughts for your mental computer | |
| Searching for Answers on the Web | p. 11 |
| Finding the right site | |
| Selected cancer information Web sites | |
| Choosing a search engine | |
| Choosing a reliable site | |
| Listservs, newsgroups, and chatrooms | |
| Forums | |
| Latest cancer news | |
| Searching medical journals on the Web | |
| Searching libraries on-line | |
| Checking doctor, hospital, and nursing home credentials | |
| Genetic information | |
| Environment | |
| Insurance and Medicare | |
| Selected Web sites for specific cancers | |
| Choosing Your Doctor and Hospital | p. 33 |
| Basic facts to help in choosing doctor and hospital | |
| Board certification | |
| Major specialties | |
| Judging your doctor | |
| Choosing a surgeon | |
| Getting a second opinion | |
| Role of nurses | |
| Health plans | |
| Judging your hospital | |
| Locations of Comprehensive Cancer Centers | |
| Difference between Comprehensive Cancer Centers and other hospitals | |
| Understanding research and teaching hospitals | |
| Hospital records | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| What Is Cancer? | p. 71 |
| What you need to know about cancer | |
| Difference between benign and malignant tumors | |
| Different types of cancer | |
| Warning signals | |
| Suspected causes | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Cancer Controversies: What You Need to Know and Do | p. 89 |
| What's the story on hormone replacement? | |
| What about PSA tests and the best treatment for prostate cancer? | |
| Are some breast cancer patients getting treatment they don't need? | |
| Do older patients get different treatments than younger patients? | |
| Is the diagnosis correct? | |
| Why does information about screening tests and causes of cancer change so often? | |
| Are doctors following the guidelines for treating cancer? | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| How Cancers Are Diagnosed | p. 105 |
| How the diagnosis process works | |
| Questions to ask your doctor when tests are being ordered | |
| Questions to think about during diagnosis period | |
| Laboratory tests | |
| All the "oscopy" tests | |
| Cytology | |
| Imaging techniques | |
| Ultrasound | |
| Scans | |
| X-rays | |
| Upper and lower GI series | |
| Mammograms | |
| Different kinds of biopsies | |
| How cancers are staged and graded | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Treatment | p. 162 |
| Questions to ask about treatment | |
| Types of treatment | |
| How treatment is determined | |
| Finding newest treatments through PDQ and the Internet | |
| Adjuvant treatment | |
| Palliative treatment | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Surgery | p. 172 |
| Questions to ask before surgery | |
| Discussing fees | |
| Guidelines for choosing a surgeon | |
| Types of surgery | |
| Surgical techniques | |
| Anesthesia | |
| Questions to ask in the hospital | |
| What happens before and after operation | |
| Possible problems after surgery | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Radiation Treatment | p. 199 |
| Understanding radiation | |
| Questions to ask your doctor before radiation treatment | |
| Radiation team | |
| Types of radiation | |
| External radiation | |
| Getting your radiation treatments | |
| Possible side effects of external radiation treatments | |
| Internal radiation (brachytherapy) | |
| Costs of radiation treatment | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Chemotherapy | p. 247 |
| What you need to know about chemotherapy | |
| Questions to ask about chemotherapy | |
| Different kinds of chemotherapy | |
| Charts of major chemotherapy drugs, their uses, and most common side effects | |
| What to do about side effects | |
| Hair loss | |
| Less common and investigational chemotherapy drugs | |
| Chemotherapy costs and insurance | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| New Advances and Investigational Treatments | p. 307 |
| Participating in a treatment clinical trial | |
| New diagnostic devices | |
| Tumor markers that may spot cancer | |
| Less invasive surgical techniques | |
| New radiation techniques | |
| New chemotherapy treatments | |
| Hyperthermia | |
| Photodynamic therapy | |
| Biologic response modifiers | |
| Monoclonal antibodies, tumor growth factors, colony-stimulating factors, interferons, interlukins | |
| Gene therapy | |
| LAK cells | |
| Uses of biological response modifiers | |
| Genetic counseling | |
| Questions to discuss before having tests | |
| Participating in a treatment clinical trial | |
| Bone marrow transplants and peripheral stem cell support | |
| New prevention techniques | |
| Chemoprevention trials | |
| Questions to ask before joining a chemoprevention trial | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Understanding Complementary and Alternative Treatments | p. 353 |
| Be an informed consumer | |
| The difference between conventional, investigational, complementary, and alternative treatments | |
| Questions you should ask about alternative methods | |
| The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine | |
| Comparing standards for investigational treatments with alternative treatments | |
| Some questionable alternative treatments | |
| Antineoplastons and Dr. Burzynski | |
| Cancell | |
| Cell therapy | |
| Coley toxin | |
| Gonzalez protocol PC SPES/SPES | |
| Greek cancer cure and Dr. Burton | |
| Immunoaugmentative therapy | |
| Laetrile | |
| Livingston-Wheeler therapy | |
| Macrobiotic diet | |
| Shark/bovine cartilage treatment | |
| Tea | |
| Wheatgrass diet | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Breast Cancer | p. 370 |
| What you need to know about breast cancer | |
| Understanding breast cancer and mammograms | |
| Who is at risk for breast cancer? | |
| Mammograms, breast exams, and breast self-exams | |
| Lumpy breasts | |
| Difference between a mastectomy and lumpectomy | |
| Major decisions you'll have to make | |
| Kinds of treatments | |
| Questions to ask about your type of breast cancer | |
| Second opinions | |
| Biopsies | |
| One-step procedures | |
| Frozen sections | |
| Estrogen and progesterone receptor tests | |
| Questions to ask yourself before deciding on a breast operation | |
| Histiologic and tumor grades | |
| Understanding the operations for breast cancer | |
| When is a lumpectomy not recommended? | |
| Treatments that preserve the breast | |
| Timing breast operation to menstrual cycle | |
| Stages and treatments | |
| What's involved in the operation | |
| Lymph node surgery | |
| Postoperative care | |
| Lymphedema | |
| Radiation treatment after surgery | |
| Questions to ask before starting chemotherapy and hormone treatments | |
| Chemotherapy ports | |
| Peripheral stem cell support | |
| Bone transplants | |
| Prostheses | |
| Reconstruction | |
| Support groups | |
| Sexual problems | |
| Pregnancy and breast cancer | |
| Follow-up | |
| Recurrence | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Prostate Cancer and Other Male Cancers | p. 467 |
| If your PSA is not normal | |
| Things you should know about your prostate | |
| Who is at risk? | |
| Symptoms | |
| Questions to ask before deciding on a treatment | |
| Testing for prostate cancer | |
| Meaning of Gleason grade | |
| Partin tables | |
| Stage and treatment choices for prostate cancer | |
| Learning about prostatectomy operations | |
| The two kinds of radiation treatment--external and internal | |
| Questions to ask before radiation treatment | |
| Laprascopic lymphadenectomy | |
| Long- and short-term side effects of external radiation treatments | |
| Radiation seeding | |
| Questions to ask your radiation oncologist about radiation seeding | |
| Cryosurgery | |
| Risks and side effects of cryosurgery | |
| Hormonal treatments for prostate cancer | |
| Orchiectomy | |
| Treating bone metastases | |
| Sexual problems, incontinence, and other side effects | |
| Dealing with urinary problems | |
| Support groups | |
| Cancer of the testicle | |
| Cancer of the penis | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Lung Cancer | p. 561 |
| New tests for finding lung cancer earlier | |
| What you should know about lung cancer | |
| Causes | |
| Benign lung tumors | |
| Shoulder pain and lung cancer | |
| Symptoms | |
| Diagnostic tests | |
| Stages of lung cancer | |
| Questions to ask about treatment choices | |
| Lasers and photodynamic treatment | |
| Radiation seeding | |
| Cryotherapy | |
| Clinical trials | |
| Breathing problems | |
| Preventive radiation of the brain | |
| Radiation treatment | |
| Chemotherapy | |
| Side effects of combination treatment | |
| Major types of lung cancers | |
| Stages and treatment of nonsmall cell cancer | |
| Stages and treatment of small cell cancer | |
| Breathing exercises | |
| Types of operations for lung cancer | |
| Mesothelioma | |
| Damage from smoking | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Gastrointestinal and Urinary Cancers | p. 588 |
| What you need to know about gastrointestinal cancers | |
| Symptoms | |
| Tests | |
| Questions to ask your doctor | |
| Who is most likely to get colon and rectal cancers | |
| Warning signs | |
| Polyps | |
| Stages and treatment of colon and rectal cancers | |
| Ostomy | |
| Stages and treatment of stomach or gastric cancer | |
| Cancer of the esophagus | |
| Liver cancer | |
| Pancreatic cancer | |
| Gall bladder, bile duct, and anus cancer | |
| Bladder cancer | |
| Kidney and ureter cancer | |
| Cancer of adrenal gland | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Skin Cancer | p. 651 |
| What you should know about skin cancers | |
| Different kinds of skin cancers | |
| Sweat-gland cancers | |
| Xeroderma | |
| Limpomas, warts, papillomas, hemangiomas, ganglions, fibromas, tattoos | |
| Noncancerous skin conditions | |
| Nonmelanoma skin cancers | |
| Precancers | |
| Mohs surgery | |
| Cryosurgery | |
| Electrosurgery | |
| Radiation | |
| Topical treatment | |
| Laser | |
| Accutane | |
| Melanomas | |
| How biopsy should be done | |
| Skin grafts | |
| Unusual skin cancers | |
| Merkel cell carcinoma | |
| Skin cancer prevention hints | |
| Signs of skin cancer | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Adult Leukemia | p. 674 |
| Not a children's disease | |
| What you need to know about leukemia | |
| Tests | |
| Blood counts | |
| Bone marrow biopsy | |
| Types of leukemia | |
| How diagnosis is made | |
| Acute leukemia | |
| Acute lymphocytic leukemia | |
| Remission induction | |
| Chronic leukemias--CLL, CML, HCL | |
| Philadelphia chromosome | |
| Rare leukemias | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Hodgkin's Disease, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and Multiple Myeloma | p. 696 |
| What are lymphomas? | |
| Diagnostic tests | |
| Questions to ask if you have Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's | |
| Hodgkin's disease | |
| Reed-Sternberg cells | |
| Lymphograms | |
| Staging and treatments for Hodgkin's disease | |
| Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas | |
| Staging and treatments for non-Hodgkin's | |
| New treatments for non-Hodgkin's | |
| HIV- and AIDS-related lymphomas | |
| Indolent and aggressive lymphomas | |
| Low, intermediate, and high-grade types | |
| Primary lymphoma of the stomach, anaplastic, and mantle cell | |
| Cutaneous T-cell | |
| Multiple myeloma | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Gynecological Cancers | p. 737 |
| What you need to know about cancers of the female reproductive organs | |
| Risks and preventive factors | |
| Gynecological operations | |
| Cervical cancer | |
| Papilloma virus | |
| Understanding the Pap test | |
| HPV conization | |
| Uterine cancer | |
| Hyperplasia | |
| Endometrial cancer | |
| Uterine sarcoma | |
| Fibroid tumors | |
| D&C | |
| Ovarian cancer | |
| Second-look surgery | |
| Vaginal cancer | |
| Radiation implants | |
| Cancer of the vulva | |
| Pregnancy and gynecological cancer | |
| Gestational cancers | |
| DES-related cancers | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Bone and Soft-Tissue Sarcomas | p. 798 |
| What you need to know about adult bone and soft-tissue sarcomas | |
| Avoiding inappropriate biopsies | |
| Difficult to diagnose | |
| Choosing the right doctor | |
| Bone cancers | |
| Adult soft-tissue sarcoma | |
| Kaposi's sarcoma | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Cancer of the Brain and Spinal Cord | p. 814 |
| What you should know about brain and spinal-cord tumors | |
| Primary brain cancer | |
| Symptoms | |
| Kind of doctor | |
| Different kinds of adult brain cancers--features, symptoms, treatments | |
| Questions to ask before starting treatment | |
| Brain mapping | |
| Neuroendoscopy | |
| Laser surgery | |
| Stereotactic surgery and radiation | |
| Photodynamic therapy | |
| Spinal-cord tumors | |
| Cancer of the pituitary gland | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Head and Neck Cancers | p. 841 |
| Special treatment centers | |
| Questions to ask before treatment | |
| Radical neck dissection | |
| Possible side effects | |
| Reconstructive surgery | |
| Maxillofacial prothestics | |
| Intensity-modulated radiation therapy | |
| Costs of external facial prosthetic devices | |
| p53 gene | |
| Thyroid cancer | |
| Larynx | |
| Pharynx | |
| Oral cavity | |
| Nose | |
| Nasal cavity and sinus cancers | |
| Salivary gland | |
| Occult neck cancer | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| When a Child has Cancer | p. 876 |
| What you need to know about childhood cancers | |
| Who should be treating the child | |
| Second opinion from NCI | |
| Aid for air travel | |
| Emotional aspects | |
| Childhood leukemias (ALL, AML) | |
| Childhood brain tumors | |
| Childhood Hodgkin's disease | |
| Childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma | |
| Wilms' tumor | |
| Neuroblastoma | |
| Accutane | |
| Soft tissue sarcoma | |
| Rhabdomyosarcoma | |
| Retinoblastoma | |
| Osteosarcoma | |
| Ewing's family of tumors | |
| Childhood liver cancer | |
| Treatment of side effects | |
| Candlelighters and other support services | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Dictionary of Unusual Cancers | p. 923 |
| When Cancers Recur or Metastasize | p. 929 |
| Recurrence | |
| Questions to ask if a recurrence is suspected | |
| Where cancers spread | |
| Treatment for cancers that metastasize | |
| When a primary tumor can't be found | |
| Medical emergencies that can occur | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Living with Cancer | p. 945 |
| Eating well | |
| Finding a nutritionist | |
| Dealing with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation | |
| Outside help | |
| Complementary therapies | |
| Relaxation techniques | |
| Spirituality | |
| Imagery | |
| Visualization | |
| Ayurveda | |
| Yoga | |
| Biofeedback | |
| Hypnosis | |
| Verbal therapy | |
| Therapeutic touch | |
| Qigong | |
| Reiki | |
| Myotherapy | |
| Polarity therapy | |
| Laugher | |
| Holistic medicine | |
| Exercise | |
| Feelings | |
| Sexuality | |
| Pain | |
| Money matters | |
| Setting up records | |
| Insurance policy checklist | |
| Appealing a claim | |
| Checking hospital bills | |
| Job discrimination | |
| Home care | |
| Thinking about dying | |
| Wills | |
| Living wills | |
| Medical power of attorney | |
| Suggestions for family and friends | |
| Home care | |
| Hospice services | |
| Signs of death | |
| Care for the caregiver | |
| Web pages to check out | |
| Where to Get Help | p. 1037 |
| Quick reference for essential phone numbers | |
| Major information sources | |
| Patient service organizations | |
| Doctors and other health professionals and hospitals | |
| National Cancer Institute programs | |
| Money matters | |
| Publications and database services | |
| Cancer fund-raising organizations | |
| Index | p. 1075 |
| Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved. |
