Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) Paperback – September 8, 2015

This book is a go-to for anyone diagnosed with breast cancer or friends and family of a cancer patient who want to learn more. It is written in understandable terms. It covers different types of breast cancers, so one can just read the sections that cover their type of malignancy. Unfortunately, Dr. Love recently died of breast cancer, but her research continues. My radiation oncologist recommended this book to me, and I am glad he did. It was helpful and answered my questions and calmed some fears.

Dr. Susan Love's book has been called "The Bible for women with breast cancer," and deservedly so. Its 704 pages are filled with a wealth of up-to-date material that is both comprehensive and easy to understand. First published in 1990 and updated every five years, this book has become the standard source of information about breast care and diseases of the breast, especially cancer. Any woman (or man) who has been newly diagnosed with breast cancer will benefit from this indispensable guide through every phase of the cancer journey.Beginning with a description of the healthy breast in Part One and the biology of cancer in Part Two, Parts Three and Four deal with screening, diagnosis, and decisions about treatment. Part Five describes the types of treatment, including surgery, radiation therapy, and systemic therapy (chemotherapy, hormones, targeted therapies, and complementary treatments). Part Six addresses problems after treatment, such as living with long-term side effects of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Part Seven discusses treatments for metastatic breast cancer. The book concludes with extensive notes, a glossary, and a helpful index.Dr. Love is a renowned surgeon, researcher, and Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCLA, but she writes in a style that is friendly, compassionate, and (above all) easy to understand. She is also a cancer survivor, which gives her words even more authenticity. I strongly recommend reading this book before meeting with your surgeon and/or cancer oncologist, so you'll understand what they're talking about, be ready to ask questions, and be equipped to advocate for yourself throughout your cancer journey. Armed with knowledge, you'll be prepared to make the best choices for you and your body.Just one suggestion: this book contains a number of illustrations, most of which were too small to see on my Kindle, even with a magnifying glass. You might consider purchasing the paperback edition for easier viewing. Aside from that difficulty, this book easily earns five stars from me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Anyone who knocks stars off this book for not being touchy-Feely enough or being too detailed are essentially reviewing an apple expecting it to be like an orange, then knocking off points for having a core.This book is full of information. It's true that because there are anecdotes that happened long ago that those scenarios may have played out differently in today's treatment centers however nothing in this book in itself is "depressing".This book reads like a very intelligent and experienced doctor explaining in detail most of the bare facts and general examples of the condition and it's treatment as well as preparing those suffering from the ailments for what to expect and what it all means as well as the up and down sides of many treatments.It's not going to replace the council of a good oncologist for your(or your loved ones) specific case nor is it going to hug you when you get bad or good news. It's a reference.Anyone who thinks this is like a text book have not been through higher education. If this were a school text book it would be for middle schoolers.I don't want to attack anybody so I'm not saying this to hurt feelings or shame anyone for being depressed about breast cancer. Cancer is a fact of life and every decade treatments improve.If you have breast cancer even if it's metastatic or likely to become metastatic, remember treatments improve every year and while it's a terrible thing, you aren't alone.

As a recently diagnosed member of the breast cancer club, I wanted to learn everything I could about my condition. There are so many books out there, but after reading blogs and shopping reviews, I decided to order Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book. The book arrived on time, was well packaged and easy to open.The size of the book was a little daunting, but the book is divided into separate chapters and indexed well, so you can jump from topic to topic based on your interest. Or you can start from page 1 and go through until the end. I appreciate that Dr. Love shares her personal and professional experiences and that she also cites actual studies, facts and statistics. Her sense of humor really helps take the edge off of the serious and scary content that you are reading.I only wish that I had found this amazing book before my surgery and treatment instead of during my recovery time. I didn't know what questions to ask or had any idea of all the treatments options that were available to me. She provides detailed descriptions of the different types of breast cancers, procedures, treatments, diagnosis and how to read your lab/pathology reports. This book is a must have for breast cancer club members and care givers.