100 Questions & Answers About Ovarian Cancer

by Don S. Dizon, Nadeem R. Abu-Rustum

Overview

Whether you’re a newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patient, a survivor, or a friend or relative of either, this book offers help. Completely updated, the new second edition of 100 Questions & Answers About Ovarian Cancer gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, post-treatment quality of life, sources of support, and much more. Written by a gynecologic oncologist and a gynecologic surgeon, with actual patient commentary, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of this frightening disease.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763743116
Publisher:	Jones & Bartlett Learning
Publication date:	11/08/2006
Series:	100 Questions & Answers about
Edition description:	2E
Pages:	165
Product dimensions:	0.40(w) x 6.00(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Don S. Dizon is a Professor of Medicine at Brown University. He is a medical oncologist specializing in breast and pelvic malignancies, survivorship (particularly as it pertains to sexual health for men and women with cancer), patient engagement, and social media. He grew up on the Pacific Island of Guam and completed undergraduate and medical school at the University of Rochester in New York. He trained in Internal Medicine at Yale New-Haven Hospital and completed a fellowship in Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. He serves as the Director of Women's Cancers and Director of Hematology-Oncology clinics at Lifespan Cancer Institute and Director of Medical Oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. Additionally, he leads Community Outreach and Engagement for The Cancer Center at Brown University and serves as Chair of Digital Engagement for SWOG Oncology Research Network and Co-Chief Medical Officer of the Global Cancer Institute. He writes an online column for the journal, The Oncologist, and for ASCO Connection. Dr. Dizon is a founding member of the Collaboration for Outcomes Using Social Media in Oncology and is active on many platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Follow him @drdonsdizon.

Nadeem R. Abu-Rustum, M.D. is Associate Attending and Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Resident and Medical Student Education, Gynecology Service, Department of Surgery, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He completed his Internship and Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Baltimore Maryland and a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York He is in full-time practice of gynecologic oncology, and his clinical research interest is in gynecologic cancer surgery, including surgery for ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers.

Table of Contents

Foreword to the First Edition     vii
Preface     xi
Introduction     xiii
The Basics     1
Where are my ovaries? What do they do?
What does it mean to have cancer?
What is a cyst? Is it related to ovarian cancer? How do a complex ovarian cyst and a simple cyst differ?
Risk Factors, Diagnosis, and Staging of Ovarian Cancer     11
What does it mean to have ovarian cancer?
Are there risk factors for ovarian cancer?
Is hormone replacement therapy associated with ovarian cancer?
Treatment of Ovarian Cancer     31
How do I decide on where to be treated?
Who's involved in my treatment?
Who should do my surgery?
Coping with Treatment-Related Side Effects     69
Should I take special precautions while on chemotherapy?
What kind of diet should I follow while on treatment? What about after treatment?
Will I be able to tolerate treatment if I am older?
Symptom Management     85
How does ovarian cancer cause abdominal pain?
What can I do for constipation?
How do I manage pain?
Relapse     91
How can my ovarian cancer come back if my ovaries have already been removed?
What happens if the cancer comes back?
How do you make a diagnosis of recurrence?
If Treatment Fails     109
How do I know when it's time to stop treatment?
What is a PEG tube? Do I need one?
Does intravenous feeding play a role?
Prevention, Screening, and Advocacy     117
Can I protect myself from getting ovarian cancer?
Can I get ovarian cancer if I've had my ovaries removed?
Will fertility drugs increase my risk of ovarian cancer?
Appendix     129
Glossary     149
Index     155

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Julia M. Fine, RN, PhD, FNP-C(Indiana State University)
Description: This book, written by a team of a gynecologic oncologist, a gynecologic surgeon, and a woman who has experienced ovarian cancer, offers answers to 100 questions about the disease. The questions range from basic definitions to diagnosis, treatment choices, management of symptoms, and dealing with both relapse and treatment failure.
Purpose: This book was written to answer the common questions about ovarian cancer and to serve as a resource for women or anyone whose life has been touched by ovarian cancer. The authors seek to impart knowledge both to enable women to make informed choices and to decrease fear that can interfere with living with and fighting the disease.
Audience: The primary audience for this book is women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer or persons who are friends or relatives of these women. It would also be useful as a short review for practitioners who do not specialize in gynecologic cancers to highlight the subtle early symptoms of the disease and to provide an overview of diagnostic, screening, and treatment options.
Features: Additional features of the book are an extensive list of resources, such as organizations, Internet sources of information, clinical trials, financial and support services. A glossary and index help to locate information quickly. In the book, technical words are in bold and are defined on each page. Questions are organized by chapters and build from initial diagnosis to treatment, management of symptoms and, finally, to end of life issues. Occasional tables and pictures serve to clarifyinformation.
Assessment: The team approach and the empowerment of the woman who is experiencing ovarian cancer is strongly emphasized. The message from a survivor of ovarian cancer is that responsibility and choices must be shared with the team of physicians and support persons. Occasionally, the questions seem simplistic, but the depth and thoroughness with which each question is answered quickly leads the reader through terminology. The comments from an ovarian cancer survivor add both personal insight and connection.