Living with Hereditary Cancer Risk: What You and Your Family Need to Know

This guide provides comprehensive information on hereditary cancers, covering risk, prevention, genetic counseling, testing, treatment, quality of life, and more. Written by patient advocates, it offers guidance for previvors, survivors, and their families, covering signs of inherited cancer risk, genetic counseling, mutations, risk-reducing strategies, treatments, and quality of life issues.

Format: Hardback
Length: 496 pages
Publication date: 22 November 2022
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

The most comprehensive guide available on hereditary cancers, from understanding risk, prevention, and genetic counseling and testing to treatment, quality of life, and more.

Up to 10 percent of cancers are caused by inherited mutations in specific genes. Finding out that you or your loved ones may be at increased risk of developing cancer because of a genetic mutation raises a lot of questions: Is cancer inevitable? Is there anything I should do differently in my life? Will my children also be at higher risk of cancer? Should I have preemptive treatments or surgery?

This comprehensive guide provides answers to these questions and more.

Written by three passionate patient advocates, this book is a compilation of the trusted information and support provided for more than two decades by Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), the de facto voice of the hereditary cancer community. Combining the latest scientific research with national guidelines, expert advice, and compelling patient stories, the book offers previvors (those who have a mutation but have never been diagnosed), survivors, and their families the guidance they need to face the unique physical and emotional challenges of living in a high-risk body.

An ideal resource for genetic counselors, physicians, nurses, advocates, and others who support and care for the hereditary cancer community, Living with Hereditary Cancer Risk also provides coverage of:

• signs of inherited cancer risk in a family;
• the value of genetic counseling and testing;
• mutations in BRCA, Lynch Syndrome, and other genes that elevate cancer risk;
• risk-reducing strategies;
• traditional treatments and newer personalized approaches, including immunotherapies and PARP inhibitors;
• nationally recommended guidelines for prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of hereditary cancers.

Understanding your risk, preventing cancer, and accessing genetic counseling and testing are essential steps in taking control of your health and well-being. This guide will empower you with the knowledge and resources you need to make informed decisions about your future. Don't let hereditary cancer hold you back—take charge of your health today!

Weight: 930g
Dimension: 235 x 156 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781421444253