The Praeger Handbook on Women's Cancers: Personal and Psychosocial Insights : Personal and Psychosocial Insights

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. Presents up-to-date research on women's cancers and current information about diagnoses and treatment options Considers women's cancers from a family systems perspective that recognizes the impact of women's cancers on loved ones and offers strategies for these related challenges, such as how to address the topic of cancer with children Provides readers with information on how to prevent and deal with cancer discrimination in the workplace as well as guidance for employers Includes an appendix with information about organizations focused on women's cancers and healing Cover Title Copyright Contents Series Foreword Foreword Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction PART I: IN WOMEN’S OWN VOICES 1. My Personal Journey 2. Breast Cancer, My Sister, and Me 3. 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 5. Cultural Consideration for Mental Health Treatment with Women of Color PART III: PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES IN UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING WOMEN’S CANCERS 6. Psychosocial Aspects of Women’s Reproductive Cancers 7. Psychological Sequelae of Cancer in Women during the Acute Phase of Survival 8. Mind-Body Health Promotion and Women’s Cancers 9. Coping with Long-Term and Late Effects: Challenges Facing Female Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer 10. Impact of Psychosocial Factors on Health Outcomes of Cancer in Women 11. Meaning Reconstruction in the Wake of Loss: Psychological and Spiritual Adaptation to Bereavement 12. Women’s Experiences of Treatment Decision Making for Breast Cancer 13. Distress and Suffering at the End of Life PART IV: WOMEN AND CANCER: RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY ISSUES 14. Sex after Cancer: Women Renegotiating Sex outside the Coital Imperative 15. Family Caregiver Support to Cancer Patients: The Relevance of Adult Children 16. Interdependence of Breast Cancer Patients and Their Partners: The Shared Experience and Coping through It Together 17. The Experience and Construction of Changes in Women’s Sexuality after Breast Cancer: A Material-Discursive-Intrapsychic Analysis 18. Exploring the Role of Stress and Neuroticism in Negative Health Outcomes: Can Stress and Personality Predict the Progression and Recurrence of Cancer? 19. Managing Cancer from Diagnosis to Recovery: Advice for Employers Appendix A: Organizations Concerned with Women’s Cancers Appendix B: Cancer Centers and Clinical Trials Appendix C: Legislation Regarding Women’s Cancers Appendix D: Sample of Popular Books on Women’s Cancers Appendix E: Guidelines for Early Detection of Cancer Identified by the American Cancer Society Appendix F: Legal and Financial Information for Cancer Patients Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W About the Editor and Contributors