Breast Cancer

by K.V. Ramani (Author), Hemalatha Ramani (Author), Shirish Alurkar (Author), B.S. Ajaikumar (Author), Riri G. Trivedi (Author)

Breast Cancer Treatment, Care, Side Effects, and Counseling is the product of a personal journey through breast cancer by one of the authors. While undergoing different modalities of treatment for breast cancer, she and her family felt a huge gap in the available information on cancer treatment and care. All the available information, even as basic as what is cancer, was very medical and scientific. For a person just diagnosed with cancer, medical language is very intimidating and frightening. Also, there was not a single source which provided all the information about cancer, its treatment modalities, and side effects. Our book is thus a compilation of all the information we collected over her one year treatment process. This book is the result of a combined effort of a breast cancer survivor, her spouse who is an academician, medical professionals, counselor, and a wellness expert so as to provide a comprehensive understanding of breast cancer. Medical specialists heal cancer in the body, but the treatment modalities of cancer impact the body, mind and emotions of the patient. Being prepared for the emotional and mental side effects of chemotherapy, radiation and the medications would empower breast cancer patients and their family with an awareness of the disease so as to cope with the treatment better. Knowing is half the battle won, and will remove the fear of the unknown.

A cancer prognosis has the tendency to knock patients and their family off their feet. Nothing can prepare people for the big “C” and it often feels like they are losing control over their own life, where nothing will be the same again. This book takes readers through the journey of Prema (diagnosed with breast cancer) and Prem (her caregiver) and covers the whole gamut of processes in cancer treatment and care in a simple language: diagnosis, medical treatment options, physical and psychosocial side effects, complementary therapies, and the importance of patient-centric care to improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. We hope future breast cancer patients and their families will benefit from our book and prepare themselves to face the challenges of dealing with breast cancer.