Talking to My Tatas

Dana Brantley-Sieders, PhD, has been a biomedical breast cancer researcher for over twenty years, investigating molecular mechanisms that regulate breast cancer growth and metastasis. She is also an author, advocate, and breast cancer survivor. She lives in Nashville, TN.

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart I: Breast Biology, Breast Cancer, and What to Expect When Diagnosed with Breast CancerChapter One: Can I talk to you about my personal relationship with my breasts?Chapter Two: Cancer 101: What (breast) cancer is and how it makes your body betray youChapter Three: Diagnostics: Imaging, poking, and prodding to find breast cancerChapter Four: Tumor gene expression profiling and surgical options – excise and examineChapter Five: Radiation, chemotherapy, and molecularly targeted therapies – weapons of cancer destructionChapter Six: Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but we do: Disparities and cancerPart II: My Breast Cancer StoryChapter Seven: Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, or a cancer diagnosisChapter Eight: New boobs, new you? The toll breast cancer takes on your mental health and how to deal with itChapter Nine: I laugh in the face of cancer—a few funny storiesPart III: Science Savvy: Why You Should Listen to Your Doctor and Not Dave “Avocado Wolf,” Gwyneth Paltrow, or Darla ShineChapter Ten: Avoid the woo! How to spot scams and distinguish pseudoscience from what’s legit when it comes to breast cancerChapter Eleven: How to look past the sensational headlines and get the real scoop from science reportingChapter Twelve: The post-cancer feminist manifesto: Academic researcher editionChapter Thirteen: “Boring Science” and Why Chasing New and Shiny Isn’t Always the Best GoalPart IV: Survivorship and Finding a New NormalChapter Fourteen: My condition is chronic, but my tits are iconicChapter Fifteen: Top ten things you can say/do when a friend/loved one is going through cancer, and what you should never say/doChapter Sixteen: Life goes on: Moving forward with humor and hopeAppendixBibliographyNotesIndexAbout the Author

"These pages are full of science, social commentary, swear words, and, ultimately, hope,” writes Brantley-Sieders, a biomedical researcher and breast cancer survivor, in this thorough and punchy guide to the disease and its treatment. As a caregiver, the author has seen patients’ “horrors, heartaches, and triumphs” and as a survivor, has “experienced some of those things firsthand.” She begins with a cancer “crash course” that covers diagnostic tools, surgical options, pre- and post-surgery tips, and various therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Part two focuses on the author’s story, relating her diagnosis, which left her “shell-shocked, confused, numb, and terrified,” and a litany of humorous stories, including a pre-surgical “inappropriate flirting” moment with a doctor. Part three, “Science Savvy,” helps readers cut through the clutter of pseudoscience around treatments and cures, and the final section, a blunt look at “survivorship and finding a new normal,” includes a list of 10 things to never say when a friend is going through cancer (things “happen for a reason” among them). Brantley-Sieders provides no shortage of resources for readers to check out (surprisingly among them are comedians who discuss their cancer experiences), and the photos documenting her experience are a plus. The result is a heartfelt survey and a solid introduction to breast cancer.