- Any woman with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, either on her mother's or father's side of the family.
- Anyone, man or woman, who has tested positive for a BRCA mutation or is considering genetic testing for breast or ovarian cancer risk.
- Anyone with a family member who has tested positive for a BRCA mutation.
- Anyone who wonders what testing positive for a BRCA mutation means for his or her own health.
- Anyone concerned about the role of diet, exercise, and hormones in breast cancer risk.
- Health professionals who talk with patients about family history, genetics, and breast and ovarian cancer risk.
When Joi learned that she carried a mutation on the BRCA2 gene she went searching for a book with answers to her many questions. She wanted a book that she could read at night, dog ear the pages, and take with her to her medical appointments. The vast quantity of knowledge needed to understand her risk and the various medical options was both daunting and confusing. But there was no book to help guide her.
Positive Results was born out of Joi's desire to create just such a book for other women like her -- women fighting, facing, and fearing breast and ovarian cancer. But to create a thorough medical guidebook Joi needed the help of a compassionate and experienced doctor. Dr. Ora Gordon is a genetic counselor, medical geneticist, director of the Cedars-Sinai GenRisk Adult Genetics program, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, director of cancer genetics at the Disney Family Cancer Center at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, and Joi's doctor.
Together Joi and Dr. Gordon have created a truly unique resource for families facing the specter of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
How can Positive Results help?
One part memoir, three parts guidebook, Positive Results explains in a clear and steady manner the myths and realities of "the breast cancer genes." It lays out all of the options in clear, compassionate language. It will help women
- decide if they want to pursue genetic testing
- interpret their genetic test results
- make the life-saving decisions required to manage their risks
Positive Results covers all of the cutting-edge medical options from genetic and genomic testing for breast cancer risk to the medical and surgical options for managing risk and beating the odds.
Positive Results is organized for easy reference with chapters on
- genetics
- genetic counseling and genetic testing
- interpreting genetic test results
- assessing risk
- diet, exercise and other risk modifiers
- breast cancer surveillance (including cutting edge technologies)
- mastectomy techniques
- breast reconstruction techniques
- ovarian cancer surveillance and detection
- ovarian surgery (hysterectomy/oophorectomy)
- managing menopause
Although designed as a guidebook, Positive Results is far from a dry reference work. It is more like a travel log to BRCAland than a textbook. Along the way, it tells the story of Joi and other women (and men) who have made the gut-wrenching decisions required to survive in this world of astronomical risk.
For more information, visit www.PositiveResultsTheBook.com
