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In 2014, an estimated 1.66 million people will receive a diagnosis of cancer. They will join a pool of 13.7 million Americans already living with a history of cancer. Almost 600,000 Americans will die from cancer. For some, cancer will be only a short divergence. For others, however, it will be a dramatic fork in the road. And for still others, the beginning of the end of the line.
This book guides cancer patients along their journey where no one knows the duration or the destination. Divided into the three parts of being a cancer patient-the diagnosis, initial treatment, and on to survivorship-the book will help the newly diagnosed cancer patient navigate a complex health care system, make astute decisions at difficult junctures, and manage the emotional turbulence that can rock his or her world. Lastly, it shares the story of how the author and his wife, as well as other cancer patients, have confronted their disease.
List of contents
Part 1: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT PLANNING
Prologue: A Life-Changing Experience
1: A Definitive Diagnosis: Setting the Stage for Treatment
2: How Prognosis Influences Your Treatment
3: How to Select your Doctors
4: Genetic Testing in Diagnosis and Treatment
5: Making Sense of Your Treatment Options
6: Understanding Clinical Trials
7: The Importance of Getting a Second Opinion
Part 2: During Active Treatment
8: The Emotional Roller-Coaster of Cancer
9: Methods to Minimize Side Effects
10: Make Nutrition and Exercise Part of Your Treatment Plan
11: What to Expect from Pain Control
12: How to Manage the Cost of Cancer
13: When Considering Complementary Therapies
14: The Role of Your Caregivers
Part 3: After Initial Treatments Are Over
15: When Initial Treatments Prove Insufficient
16: The Challenges of Surviving Cancer
17: Difficult Decisions at the End of the Journey
18: Choosing to Stop Treatment and the Role of Hospice
Addendum: Essential Resources
About the author
John Leifer worked for more than thirty years with the major factions comprising healthcare delivery in the United States, including some of the nation's leading hospitals. Most recently, he served as a senior vice president for a ten-hospital system in the Midwest. Leifer founded and published The Leifer Report, a healthcare publication that featured contributors ranging from President Bill Clinton to Newt Gingrich. He has written extensively on healthcare issues and has been published in newspapers and magazines, such as Modern Healthcare, Hospitals & Health Networks, Washington Monthly, and The Kansas City Star. Leifer has also been profiled in several prominent magazines, including Money and Fortune.
Lori Lindstrom Leifer,MD, is both a cancer doctor and a cancer patient. As a radiation oncologist, she has provided care to cancer patients for the past twenty-five years. As a faculty member with a NCI-designated Cancer Center, Lori sees a broad array of cases. Prior to her academic affiliation, Lori spent many years serving a largely indigent population in a mission-driven practice. In addition to her clinical practice, Lori holds a teaching position, as an assistant clinical professor, within the University of Kansas School Of Medicine. Lori is a member of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society.
Summary
After You Hear It’s Cancer offers a step-by-step guide for recently diagnosed patients and their families as they embark on this arduous journey. The authors integrate cutting-edge research with the perspectives of numerous cancer patients to provide an empathic, but pragmatic handbook that should be required reading for every cancer patient.
