How to talk to your doctor about breast cancer

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How to talk to your doctor after breast cancer diagnosis

Dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. The patient will need a lot of answers and may not ask the right questions. There’s a new book, “Breast Cancer Clear and Simple” written to help patients effectively communicate with their healthcare providers

Dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. As a patient, you need a lot of answers, but may not even know how to ask the right questions to find out what you need.

“Everybody who is facing cancer is afraid,” Dr. Otis Brawley, of the American Cancer Society, said.

One out of every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The experts at the American Cancer Society created the second edition of “Breast Cancer Clear & Simple” with input from breast cancer survivors to help patients and caregivers better understand what to expect.

“Everyone who is diagnosed with cancer is startled and people ought not to be embarrassed by that,” Brawley said. “They need to accept the fact that this is really difficult news and everybody is going to have difficulty dealing with it.”

The American Cancer Society hopes the book helps those affected by breast cancer learn how to effectively communicate with their healthcare providers.

“We tried to look at all people who get breast cancer, men and women, and tried to write a book that’s going to help them,” Brawley said. “The medical issues for treating men and women are actually very similar. This book is really designed to allow the patient to really learn from the healthcare provider.

“Breast Cancer Clear & Simple” is on shelves now, just in time for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.