The fourth most common cancer, colon and rectal cancer is diagnosed in 130,000 new cases in the U.S. each year. As with many other cancers, the treatment environment is evolving. As a patient (or the family researcher) you need up-to-date and in-depth information to participate wisely in treatment decisions.Colon & Rectal Cancer: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients & Families includes: Characteristics of colon cancer, staging, suspected causes, and factors in prognosesCurrent treatment optionsClinical trials and promising future treatmentsCoping with medical tests, symptoms, and treatments Recognizing and minimizing the impact of treatment on sexual function, libido, and fertilityCaring for and adjusting to an ostomy, whether temporary or permanentEmotional responses to diagnosis, treatment, remission, and all other aspects of dealing with the condition. Stories from those living with colon cancer are included.Author Lorraine Johnston, with her background in life sciences, emphasizes using knowledge to dispel fear. Those who read this book will encounter medical facts simply explained, advice to ease their daily life, and tools to be a strong advocate for themselves or a family member.


Lorraine Johnston is the wife of an eight-year lymphoma survivor and the daughter of a twenty-year lymphoma survivor. In the years since her husband’s diagnosis, she’s been involved in a number of support groups that offer emotional and practical support to lymphoma survivors. Her first book is Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment & Options. In the course of her support group efforts, Lorraine has been interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer and by National Public Radio’s Marketplace program regarding the best ways to find reliable medical information using a personal computer and various media such as the World Wide Web. She attempts to dispel the myths that access to sound medical information is cloaked in secrecy and that medical literature is impossible to interpret. Using her life-long love of biology and her degree in life sciences, she helps cancer survivors evaluate accurately the material they locate, emphasizing resources such as the National Cancer Institute’s databases of treatments and clinical trials, and the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE, a collection of over nine million published medical research studies. Lorraine’s years of study have included many courses in psychology, but she found that nothing in her educational background prepared her adequately for facing the terror and heartbreak of cancer. One of her chief interests is helping the newly diagnosed as well as long-term survivors feel less lonely and less afraid as they confront their diagnoses and weigh their options.