A Woman's Decision: Breast Care, Treatment and Reconstruction

Patient information books ("doctor books") have proliferated in both number and sophistication. As any airport—book counter browser can attest, no subject is more popular in this minor growth industry than those dealing with the breast. This book, written by a well-known medical editor and a plastic surgeon specializing in cosmetic breast surgery, is designed to provide the sophisticated lady with an in-depth understanding of breast reconstruction, both for pure cosmesis and following operations for cancer. The first 40 (15%) of the 266 pages deal with cancer; the remainder deal with mammoplasty for aesthetic purposes. A 36-page group of appendices lists such diverse information as details of the tumor-nodule-metastases—staging classification of breast cancer, resource organizations for women following mastectomy, and regional telephone numbers where women can turn for guidance and help.

One hundred fourteen thousand women develop breast cancer each year in the United States, and the American Cancer Society's education