The Praeger Handbook on Women's Cancers

Written by experts in psycho-oncology, this book synthesizes the findings of the latest research on women's cancers to empower women to make informed choices about treatment options. Each year, hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone. The total number affected is larger still, comprising siblings, parents, partners, and children of these women. In this single-volume work, an international team of experts address the physical, medical, and psychological matters that are triggered by a diagnosis of having a form of "women's cancer"-breast, cervical, endometrial, gestational, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar being some of the more common. The handbook examines and explains each type of women's cancer, covering the specifics of incidence, diagnosis, treatment options, and more, providing an up-to-date guide for women and their families to assist in making informed choices about their treatment options. The book includes personal accounts from women who survived cancers and beat their emotional challenges, addresses myths versus realities regarding women's cancers, and covers relevant, related topics such as race, sexual orientation, religion, and cancer coping. Special attention is given to the impact of women's cancers on relationships, intimacy, and body image, as well as psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, and fear.

Michele A. Paludi, PhD, is president of Human Resources Management Solutions and a participating faculty member in the School of Management at Union Graduate College.

Series Foreword
Michele A. Paludi
Foreword
Susan Strauss
Foreword
Jennifer L. Martin and G. Michelle Collins-Sibley
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Michele A. Paludi
PART I: IN WOMEN'S OWN VOICES
1. My Personal Journey
Stephanie M. Karwan
2. Breast Cancer, My Sister, and Me
Susan Strauss
3. HERA Women's Cancer Foundation
Meg Steitz, HERA Women's Cancer Foundation
PART II: SEXISM AND RACISM IN WOMEN'S CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
4. Women's Health: Biological and Social Systems
Cheryl Brown Travis and Andrea L. Meltzer
5. Cultural Consideration for Mental Health Treatment with Women of Color
Silvia L. Mazzula and Rebecca Rangel
PART III: PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES IN UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING WOMEN'S CANCERS
6. Psychosocial Aspects of Women's Reproductive Cancers
Joan C. Chrisler, Alexandra M. Nobel, and Jessica R. Newton
7. Psychological Sequelae of Cancer in Women during the Acute Phase of Survival
Meagan A. Medina, Bridget R. Kennedy, Cecily A. Luft, Paula K. Lundberg-Love, and Jeanine M. Galusha
8. Mind-Body Health Promotion and Women's Cancers
Ricardo Joao Texeira and Maria da Graca Pereira
9. Coping with Long-Term and Late Effects: Challenges Facing Female Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer
Anne Moyer, Elisbeth Santore, and Allison Marziliano
10. Impact of Psychosocial Factors on Health Outcomes of Cancer in Women
Anna-Lena Lopez and Phyllis Butow
11. Meaning Reconstruction in the Wake of Loss: Psychological and Spiritual Adaptation to Bereavement
Laurie A. Burke, Robert A. Neimeyer, and Tina C. Elacqua
12. Women's Experiences of Treatment Decision Making for Breast Cancer
Katherine Swainston and Anna van Wersch
13. Distress and Suffering at the End of Life
Alicia Krikorian
PART IV: WOMEN AND CANCER: RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY ISSUES
14. Sex after Cancer: Women Renegotiating Sex outside the Coital Imperative
Jane M. Ussher, Emilee Gilbert, and Janette Perz
15. Family Caregiver Support to Cancer Patients: The Relevance of Adult Children
Ricardo Joao Texeira and Maria da Graca Pereira
16. Interdependence of Breast Cancer Patients and Their Partners: The Shared Experience and Coping through It Together
Sam M. Dorros
17. The Experience and Construction of Changes in Women's Sexuality after Breast Cancer: A Material-Discursive-Intrapsychic Analysis
Janette Perz, Jane M. Ussher, and Emilee Gilbert
18. Exploring the Role of Stress and Neuroticism in Negative Health Outcomes: Can Stress and Personality Predict the Progression and Recurrence of Cancer?
Sam M. Dorros
19. Managing Cancer from Diagnosis to Recovery: Advice for Employers
Katie L. Pustolka
Appendix A: Organizations Concerned with Women's Cancers
Susan Strauss and Michele A. Paludi
Appendix B: Cancer Centers and Clinical Trials
Michele A. Paludi
Appendix C: Legislation Regarding Women's Cancers
Michele A. Paludi
Appendix D: Sample of Popular Books on Women's Cancers
Michele A. Paludi
Appendix E: Guidelines for Early Detection of Cancer Identified by the American Cancer Society
Summarized by Michele A. Paludi
Appendix F: Legal and Financial Information for Cancer Patients
Michele A. Paludi
Index
About the Editor and Contributors