Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Introduction: The conventional wisdom about cancer testing and what this book is about 1
5. PART I PROBLEMS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
6. 1. It is unlikely that you will benefit 17
7. 2. You may have a “cancer scare” and face an endless cycle of testing 33
8. 3. You may receive unnecessary treatment 51
9. 4. You may find a cancer you would rather not know about 66
10. 5. Your pathologist may say it’s cancer, while others say it’s not 90
11. 6. Your doctor may get distracted from other issues that are more important to you 106
12. PART II BECOMING A BETTER-EDUCATED CONSUMER
13. 7. Understand the culture of medicine (and why we are pushed to test) 115
14. 8. Understand the statistics of cancer (and why five-year survival is the world’s most misleading number) 129
15. 9. Understand the limits to research—even genetic research (and why it is hard to be sure there really are benefits to screening) 152
16. 10. Develop a strategy that works for you 177
17. Appendix: Summary of cancers discussed in this book 191
18. Glossary 193
19. Notes 199
20. Index 219