Living with Cancer: A Step-bystep Guide for Coping Medically and Emotionally with a Serious Diagnosis

Vicki A. Jackson David P. Ryan Michelle D. Seaton

Johns Hopkins University Press Softcover $22.95 (368pp) 978-1-4214-2233-6 Patients at any stage of this disease will find rich, useful information that can help them cope more effectively.

Many cancer patients find themselves feeling confused and adrift after a diagnosis, according to the authors of Living with Cancer. Struggles to understand medical jargon while dealing with thorny emotional issues can make cancer treatment into a difficult, and often wrenching, experience.

By developing this readable and comprehensive guide for patients, their families, and other caregivers, the authors have done a great service to those affected by cancer. They draw on their experience creating a unique program at Massachusetts General Hospital, in which topics like symptom management, treatment decisions, and coping mechanisms are blended together for each patient to thrive physically as well as emotionally.

Vicki Jackson, MD, MPH, is chief of palliative care, while David Ryan, MD, is the chief of hematology and oncology, and medical writer Michelle Seaton brings her experience writing nonfiction into play. The combination of these three areas of expertise is powerful, and each provides reassurance along the way. One of the most challenging aspects for any serious diagnosis