Living with Cancer: a step-by-step guide, reviewed

Living with Cancer: A Step-by-Step Guide is by Vicki A. Jackson and David P. Ryan, with Michelle D. Seaton. The Internet Archive's catalog record gives a fuller title: Living with Cancer: A Step-by-Step Guide for Coping Medically and Emotionally with a Serious Diagnosis. Johns Hopkins University Press published it in 2017.

The title describes a guide to coping medically and emotionally with a serious diagnosis. This page has not been able to confirm the book's chapter list or its method of organization from an approved source. So it does not describe them.

The book came out in 2017. Cancer treatment has changed since then, most of all in immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Check any drug names or regimens in a book this age against current NCI information.

Books and care vary by place. Some people are treated at large academic centers and others at smaller practices. Not every team has palliative care specialists. Ask your own team what is available to you.

The rest of this page sets out what federal sources say on palliative care, hospice and eating during treatment. These are topics that books like this one often raise.

The book is about coping with an existing diagnosis, not prevention. Even so, it is useful to state the current federal position, separate from the book's content. Family members reading alongside a patient often want it.

CDC says tobacco use can cause cancer "almost anywhere in your body." It says you can lower your risk by drinking less alcohol or not drinking, and that being overweight or having obesity raises risk. These are population-level links. They are not predictions about any one person's diagnosis, and they say nothing about what caused anyone's cancer.

Palliative care is often misunderstood. Here is NCI's own account.

NCI describes palliative care as care that focuses on comfort and quality of life. It addresses physical, emotional, spiritual and practical needs. A team delivers it. NCI lists doctors, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, therapists, chaplains, psychologists and social workers. NCI says it may be provided at any point in cancer care, from diagnosis to the end of life, with or without treatment aimed at cure.

Hospice is described differently. NCI states that hospice begins "when curative treatment is no longer the goal of care and the sole focus is quality of life." NCI says a physician must certify a life expectancy of 6 months or less for coverage under most plans. Medicare.gov says your hospice doctor and your regular doctor must certify this, and you must choose comfort care over care aimed at cure. NCI lists medical and nursing services, pain medicines, supplies, counseling and spiritual care, and grief support for families. You can stop hospice at any time.

NCI is clear that palliative care can start early and run alongside treatment, and that it is not the same as hospice. For more on this distinction, see is palliative care the same as hospice and what palliative care is.

Eating problems are common in cancer care. Here is what NCI says about eating during cancer treatment. Appetite and weight changes are among the most common problems patients report.

NCI's guidance on nutrition in cancer care lists loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, changes in taste, mouth sores, and trouble swallowing. NCI says people with cancer may need extra protein and calories. It suggests smaller meals and snacks five to six times a day. It says a registered dietitian can help you get the right amount of protein and calories. Different treatments cause different eating problems, so ask your care team what applies to you.

For more detail specific to a treatment type, see eating during chemotherapy and nutrition during treatment.

We keep Cancer Explained free and ad-free for everyone. If this page was useful, consider supporting it.

• Living with Cancer: A Step-by-Step Guide — Internet Archive catalog record
• NCI — Palliative Care in Cancer Fact Sheet
• NCI — Hospice Care Fact Sheet
• Medicare — Hospice Care
• CDC — Cancer Risk Factors
• NCI — Nutrition in Cancer Care (PDQ)

This page discusses Living with Cancer: A Step-by-Step Guide for education. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is a judgement of anyone's real medical care.