Overcome the Challenges of Cancer Care. M. D. Rosenberg

      ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

      Lanham • Boulder • New York • London

      This book is designed to provide helpful information on issues surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. It has been written in good faith and is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge. This book does not provide specific medical advice. The use of this book does not create a patient-physician relationship and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. For the diagnosis or treatment of any medical problem, consult your own doctor. The publisher, author, and all parties involved in book development disclaim all liability related to the use of this book. Therefore, they are not liable for any damage or negative results from any treatment, action, or application to any person reading or following the information contained within. The references are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites or other sources. Readers should be aware that the websites listed in this book may change.

      Published by Rowman & Littlefield

      An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

      4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

      www.rowman.com

      6 Tinworth Street, London SE11 5AL, United Kingdom

      Copyright © 2020 by Stephen Rosenberg

      British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Names: Stephen Rosenberg

      Title: Overcome the challenges of cancer care : How to avoid pitfalls on the path to healing

      Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield [2020] / Includes bibliographical references and index. / Summary: "A friendly, easy-to-read guide for cancer patients and their loved ones when dealing with a cancer diagnosis. This book will help patients, loved ones, friends and family recognize the pitfalls of a cancer diagnosis and how to avoid them to get the best care possible during their cancer journey." --Provided by publisher.

      Identifiers: LCCN 2019051825 (print) / LCCN 2019051826 (ebook) / ISBN 9781538134221 (cloth) / ISBN 9781538134238 (epub)

      Subjects: LCSH: Cancer--Patients--Care. / Cancer--Patients--Rehabilitation. / Cancer--Treatment.

      Classification: LCC RC262.R655 2020 (print) / LCC RC262 (ebook) / DDC 616.99/4--dc23

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019051825

      LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019051826

      For my wife, Katie

      son, Jonathan

      daughter, Emily

      parents, Allen and Dorothy

      and everyone touched by cancer

      Preface

      Early in my medical training, I tried to direct patients to resources about cancer. The books patients found were, overwhelming, poorly written or just plain false. As patients went online, they found a mix of half-truths and false promises.

      I did my best to educate my patients in clinic. But even with an hour-long patient visit, I didn’t feel like I could convey everything I needed to. I wrote this book because I was distraught by the lack of quality information available to patients. The goal of this book is to fill in the who, what, when, where, and why of cancer in an easy-to-read format.

      We’ve all been touched by cancer—a spouse, a brother, a mother, a sister, a friend, or even ourselves. Each year in the United States, there are about 1.7 million new cancer cases and about 600,000 deaths from cancer. It is the second most common cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease. Cancer plays some role in almost everyone’s life, so I hope to shed light on this common but devastating disease.

      Some books examine every nuance of cancer for hundreds of pages. Wading through the sea of information can bring shock and panic to patients and loved ones. That’s why this book is not comprehensive. I only briefly touch on individual cancers. Instead, I focus on the processes and treatment of cancer as a whole. I want to make sure you or your loved ones don’t miss the forest for the trees.

      I hope you find this book useful and informative. I would love to hear your thoughts on the book.

      Warm regards,

      Stephen Rosenberg, MD

      [email protected]

      Introduction

      “You have cancer.”

      When people hear these words, they’re at a loss. How could this happen? What do I do now? Where do I begin? These are only some of the questions patients, family members, and others have.

      The average person has a limited view of what cancer is, how it grows, and how we treat it. People hear things about cancer on TV, read about it in books, and see people deal with it in movies. Many of us even donate time and money to cancer research. But we often talk about cancer in a superficial sense. We rarely dive into what it means to have cancer or how to deal with it.

      Maybe we hear about a friend or family member who has cancer: “Uncle Bob has prostate cancer” or “Aunt Susan has breast cancer.” We think, That’s too bad. Maybe, in the quiet and privacy of our homes, we Google the word cancer. The amount of information overloads us. (By the way, if you do Google the word cancer, you get over half a billion results.)

      Taking in a diagnosis while wading through this information is overwhelming.

      Where Do I Start?

      As you work through information online and in books from doctors, healers, salespeople, and anyone in between, the picture only gets cloudier. Worse yet, there are a lot of false promises and poorly written materials out there. Some people try to exploit patients, families, and friends affected by cancer.

      I hope this book serves as a guide—a flashlight in the darkness of cancer information. I want to arm you with information on cancer in an easy-to-understand format.

      We’ll start with the cancer cell, describe diagnosis, and go over the types of common treatments: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. We’ll then move on to managing side effects, incorporating complementary care, and making lifestyle changes. Throughout the book, I also outline how to overcome the ten most common mistakes I see patients and families make as they go through this process.

      At the end, I’ve included a glossary, where you can find definitions of terms, and a list of additional resources. Please also visit my website at stephenrosenbergmd.com where I’ve included patient resources, such as templates for doctor’s appointments with questions to ask along with other helpful lists. I want you to have everything you or family members may need to navigate the journey of cancer.

      Getting the Big Picture

      This book