27 September 2018
As we move rapidly into October, Breast Cancer awareness month, a new book entitled ‘The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to feel empowered and take control’ has been published which provides a guide for patients from the point of view of two doctors who have both been diagnosed with, and treated for, breast cancer.
Professor Trisha Greenhalgh is a GP and academic doctor, based at University of Oxford who specialises in evidence-based practice. Dr Liz O’Riordan is an oncoplastic surgeon specialising in the treatment of breast cancer. Both doctors have direct experience of breast cancer and as health care professionals this has given them a unique perspective on how to help others with the same diagnosis. Professor Greenhalgh admits that despite her background in evidence-based medicine one of her first actions following her diagnosis was to “type ‘breast cancer’ into Google”. When interviewed, Dr O’Riordan tells us that “I thought I knew everything there was to know about breast cancer, but I was clueless”.
The authors motivation to write the book as to help people with breast cancer work through the huge amount of information that exists about the disease, place it in a logical order and explore the links between the information and how it fits together. The book covers the subject chronologically from the point of view of the patient from diagnosis and ‘joining the cancer club’ through surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy through to chapters on metastatic disease and how to move forward with a breast cancer diagnosis. Along the way issues such as changes in body image, sexuality and relationships are covered. Breast cancer in LGBT people, older people and men are also explored. Their starting point is to provide others with key information that they wish they had known when they were diagnosed. The book recognises that an informed guide is required as much of the information available is not evidence based and can also be taken out of context.
It seems very likely that this book will provide an interesting and informed overview of breast cancer from both an experiential and ‘expert’ perspective.
The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to Feel Empowered and Take Control by Professor Trisha Greenhalgh and Dr Liz O'Riordan was published on 20th September 2018 by Vermillion Press.
Read more here https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1042374133986807808
Read Dr Liz O’Riordan’s blog here http://liz.oriordan.co.uk/Blog/