Kathy Steligo – författare

"Be informed. Be empowered. Be well". If you are concerned that the cancer in your family is hereditary, you face difficult choices. Should you have a blood test that may reveal whether you have a high likelihood of disease? Do you preemptively treat a disease that may never develop? How do you make decisions now that will affect the rest of your life? This helpful, informative guide answers your questions as you confront hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Developed by Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), the nation's only nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, this book stands alone among breast and ovarian cancer resources. Equal parts health guide and memoir, it defines complex issues facing previvors and survivors and provides solutions with a fresh, authoritative voice. Written by three passionate advocates for the hereditary cancer community who are themselves breast cancer survivors, "Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer" dispels myths and misinformation and presents practical risk-reducing alternatives and decision-making tools.Including information about genetic counseling and testing, preventive surgery, and fertility and family planning, as well as explanations of health insurance coverage and laws protecting genetic privacy, this resource tackles head-on the challenges of living in a high-risk body. Confronting hereditary cancer is a complex, confusing, and highly individual journey. With its unique combination of the latest research, expert advice, and compelling personal stories, this book gives previvors, survivors, and their family members the guidance they need to face the unique challenges of hereditary cancer.

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, early detection, and treatment; • insurance coverage and discrimination protections; and• coping with sexual health, fertility, menopause, and other quality of life issues.

The definitive guide to breast reconstruction—now completely revised and updated.For more than twenty years, The Complete Guide to Breast Reconstruction (formerly The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook) has been an essential resource for individuals who are undergoing mastectomy and thinking about breast reconstruction. In this revised edition, two-time breast cancer survivor Kathy Steligo covers the critical information patients need, from finding the right surgeon to weighing options and making informed decisions.Anyone considering a mastectomy faces a perplexing array of issues, questions, and decisions in their treatment options. This updated and expanded edition provides a comprehensive road map of the entire mastectomy and reconstruction experience. Steligo explains the advantages and disadvantages of postmastectomy options, including staying flat, using prostheses, and undergoing reconstruction with breast implants or a patient's own tissue. The extensively updated text includes new information on• The benefits and limitations of traditional versus advanced procedures • How mastectomy affects sensation, scarring, and projection • What to expect from nipple-sparing mastectomy • How reconstruction restores shape, size, and projection• The pros and cons of saline and silicone breast implants • The differences between muscle-sparing and muscle-sacrificing natural tissue reconstruction• Improving results with fat grafting • 3-D nipple tattooing • How radiation therapy impacts reconstruction• Male mastectomy and reconstruction • The physical and emotional effects of surgery and recoveryFeaturing before-and-after patient photos, expert commentaries, and patient stories, this guide describes the mastectomy and reconstructive journey from research to recovery so readers can make informed decisions about what is best for them.

"Be informed. Be empowered. Be well". If you are concerned that the cancer in your family is hereditary, you face difficult choices. Should you have a blood test that may reveal whether you have a high likelihood of disease? Do you preemptively treat a disease that may never develop? How do you make decisions now that will affect the rest of your life? This helpful, informative guide answers your questions as you confront hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Developed by Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), the nation's only nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, this book stands alone among breast and ovarian cancer resources. Equal parts health guide and memoir, it defines complex issues facing previvors and survivors and provides solutions with a fresh, authoritative voice. Written by three passionate advocates for the hereditary cancer community who are themselves breast cancer survivors, "Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer" dispels myths and misinformation and presents practical risk-reducing alternatives and decision-making tools.Including information about genetic counseling and testing, preventive surgery, and fertility and family planning, as well as explanations of health insurance coverage and laws protecting genetic privacy, this resource tackles head-on the challenges of living in a high-risk body. Confronting hereditary cancer is a complex, confusing, and highly individual journey. With its unique combination of the latest research, expert advice, and compelling personal stories, this book gives previvors, survivors, and their family members the guidance they need to face the unique challenges of hereditary cancer.