Assess Your True Risk of Breast Cancer

Book excerpt: The first book to give women the tools they need to realistically assess their risk of getting breast cancer--and choose the best course of action Ask women what their number-one health fear is and most will not hesitate before answering "breast cancer." The recent proliferation of easily misunderstood and often contradictory statistics about breast cancer and its causes, however, is scaring many women who have only a small risk of contracting the disease. Assess Your True Risk of Breast Cancer is designed to help women evaluate what their risk really is and then determine what the next step should be based on that risk. Written by a leading expert in the field, the book discusses everything from studies on how age and family history relate to breast cancer risk, to those on hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer, enabling a woman to understand and focus on her own personal situation. Whether providing advice on how to get more extensive testing, counseling, and preventative measures when necessary, or offering the welcome assurance that the risk is small enough to warrant just annual checkups, mammograms, and regular self-examinations, Assess Your True Risk of Breast Cancer replaces rumors and scare tactics with solid, practical, and vital information.