'Reimagining Women's Cancers: The Power of Celebrity and Public Awareness'

Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. The get-out-of-cancer-free card? Prevention through information. The recent World Cancer Report from the World Health Organization states that about half of all cancers are preventable and can be avoided if current medical knowledge is better delivered. From People magazine, with a readership of 43 million to Internet sites like JustJared.com with over 80 million monthly views, celebrity information not only sells, it has the ability to educate about important issues -- including cancer.

Whether readers are currently patients or consumers wanting to be better informed, "Reimagining Women's Cancers" exemplifies that information is empowering. Reading about a famous person coping with cancer can not only be inspiring, it can save a life. In this first book of their "Reimagining Cancer" series, doctors Mark Boguski and Michele Berman team with writer David Tabatsky to provide celebrity stories focusing on cancer of the breasts, ovaries, uterus, cervix, vagina and vulva.

To provide readers with critical information to help them manage, cope, and recover from illness, "Reimagining Women's Cancers" is written in an easy-to-read style and format. Each chapter begins with basic anatomy concerning each cancer, followed by an overview of how we view a particular cancer today. The chapters flow easily into an explanation of signs, symptoms, diagnoses, scientific information and guidelines, and end on comprehensive surveys for treatments and prevention. Woven throughout are stories, both medical and anecdotal, from women such as Angelina Jolie, Joan Lunden, Melissa Etheridge, Sandra Lee, Rita Wilson, Christina Applegate, and Suzanne Somers.

"The illnesses of famous patients receive enormous attention from the media and serve as touchstones for patients and families dealing with similar conditions," said Barron H. Lerner, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Public Health, New York Presbyterian. "By taking a series of famous cancer cases and looking at the actual information being received by the public, Doctors Boguski and Berman are furthering the important process of ascertaining exactly what these episodes teach us."

Every 23 seconds someone in America is diagnosed with cancer. Education is the key, and by using clear and concise information by means of celebrity stories, "Reimagining Women's Cancers" can teach countless readers who might otherwise not pay attention to an epidemic likely to affect them or a loved one.

Dr. Mark Boguski and Dr. Michele Berman are a husband and wife team of physicians who have trained and taught at some of the top medical schools and research institutions in the country, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis, the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

Celebrity Diagnosis, the website they founded and launched in 2009, is now featured as an integral part of the American Association for Cancer Research website and combines celebrity health conditions with up-to-date medical information on numerous cancers.

Through their website, Dr. Boguski and Dr. Berman have created numerous "teachable moments in medicine," giving the medical facts behind the headlines. Their aim is to increase health awareness and medical knowledge for patient empowerment and professional development, and raise the likelihood of consideration for early detection and preventative behavior.

For a patient facing cancer, or for a medical student overwhelmed by data, medical information alone can be quite daunting and often misses out on the human factor that is so vital in prevention and healing. David Tabatsky, through his writing and editing, has added an essential element to the book with his interviews with patients and cancer support groups, as well as by making the book easy to read.

"Thank you for sharing the relationship between celebrity health conditions, consumer Internet search behavior, and its potential for developing teachable moments for the advancement of public health," said Nan M. Laird, PhD, Harvey V. Fineberg, Professor of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health.