BOSOM BUDDIES

Lessons and Laughter on Breast Health and Cancer

By Rosie O'Donnell and Deborah Axelrod, MD, FACS with Tracy Chutorian Semler

Warner Books
Trade Paperback Original

Publication date: November 1, 1999

$12.99 311 pages

ISBN: 0-446-67620-9

According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. The second leading cancer killer of women in the U.S., breast cancer claimed almost 44,000 lives last year, and more than 180,000 cases were diagnosed. Yet, while the statistics are widely known, the facts about this disease remain dangerously murky to most women. Now, in their new book, BOSOM BUDDIES: Lessons and Laughter on Breast Health and Cancer, America's favorite talk show host Rosie O'Donnell teams up with noted breast cancer specialist Deborah Axelrod, MD, and health issues journalist Tracy Chutorian Semler to answer the 200 most important questions about breast cancer. Timed to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, BOSOM BUDDIES will be published on November 1, 1999 (Warner Books Trade Paperback Original/$12.99), with all profits to be donated to breast cancer charities.

No stranger to the subject—her mother died of breast cancer when Rosie was ten years old—Rosie O'Donnell has used her popular television show as a platform for encouraging women to take charge of their health. In BOSOM BUDDIES, she displays her trademark honesty and unfailing humor , along with the expert advice of Deborah Axelrod, Chief of the Breast Center at St. Vincents Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Moving from risk factors, etiology and preventative care to diagnosis and treatment, the authors cover such questions as:

Is breast cancer an older woman's disease? A: The risk increases with age, but breast cancer is every woman's disease, with one fourth of those diagnosed under the age of fifty.

Why is the mammogram so important? A: The mammogram is the best tool we have for detecting breast cancers while they are still too small to be felt.

Is lumpectomy as effective as mastectomy? A: Studies have shown that the lumpectomy procedure produces an equivalent survival rate to mastectomy.

Can I become pregnant after being treated for breast cancer? A: Yes, but there is a risk of going into early menopause after taking some anti-cancer drugs.

Also included is an extensive resource section, featuring books and organizations for cancer patients and survivors, as well as many lists and illustrations. And throughout the book are humorous asides from Rosie, such as her Top 5 Reasons to Have a Regular Breast Exam (Reason #1: Because the doctor's really cute) and hilarious song lyrics and crossword puzzles.

If laughter is the best medicine, and knowledge is power, then BOSOM BUDDIES  is the most medicinal and empowering book ever published on this all important topic. "There are few things as terrifying and isolating as a breast cancer diagnosis," the authors write, "but the truth is you are not alone. . .There are legions of us who are your Bosom Buddies."

About the authors:

ROSIE O'DONNELL is one of America's favorite celebrities. Host of the Emmy winning Rosie O'Donnell Show, Rosie has also appeared in many hit films, TV sitcoms and comedy specials.

DEBORAH AXELROD, MD,  is Chief of the Breast Center at St. Vincents Comprehensive Cancer Center, and associate professor of surgery at New York Medical College.

TRACY CHUTORIAN SEMLER is a television producer and journalist specializing in health issues. The author of  All About Eve: The Complete Guide to Women's Health and the forthcoming The Fit Brain, Ms. Semler also produced the award-winning five-part series "American Woman" for CBS Morning News, and is co-creator of the web site www.MDWomensHealth.com.