Breast cancer is not only a burning public issue, but very soon we shall
see genetic testing for a woman's predisposition to breast cancer. Many
women will be demanding to know their degree of risk and will need
counselling to cope with that information. This book is particularly
aimed at primary health care professionals, including physicians,
medical assistants, nurses and counsellors, who daily deal with
questions from women concerned about their risk of developing breast
cancer. To answer such questions, this book has combined a guide to
identifying women at higher risk to breast cancer, with a balanced
review of approaches which aim to reduce that risk. The book provides
practical general measures which may reduce risk for women at average
risk. For women at clearly increased risk various protective options
with different levels of efficacy and acceptability are discussed.
Central to the book is the patient-centered view. We need to face
reality that it still will take many years before the current clinical
trials of preventive measures provide meaningful results. Meanwhile,
women who seek to diminish their risk of breast cancer need all the
available information. They must be given full responsibility to make an
informed decision on their own health care.
Reducing Breast Cancer Risk in Women is a practical handbook,
technicalities have been deliberately kept to a minimum, making it
concise and easy to read.