One in eight American women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime, according to BreastCancer.org. And while the survival rate is at an all-time high, it’s still the second most common cancer killer among U.S. women, right behind lung cancer. About 2.8 million American women have a family history of breast cancer. The increased risk—which doubles if a woman’s mom, sister or daughter were diagnosed with breast cancer—is enough to make anyone more curious about the condition. Hence why there’s so much literature on the internet, in libraries and bookstores now about how to prevent and treat the disease.

“When women get diagnosed, everyone tells them, get information, get information. But in today’s day and age, the problem is not lack of information. It’s actually too much information and no filter. While getting information is supposed to be empowering, I found it was having the opposite effect. Women were coming into my office totally overwhelmed,” says Elisa Port, M.D., co-director of the Dubin Breast Center and Chief of Breast Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

In this video interview, Sonima’s founder, Sonia Jones, sits down with Port to discuss her new book, The New Generation Breast Cancer Book: How to Navigate Your Diagnosis and Treatment Options-and Remain Optimistic-in an Age of Information Overload, which came out last fall. Port sees about 2,000 patients and performs up to 500 surgeries a year, so she knows all too well just how difficult breast cancer care can be.

“A single woman could need a surgeon, an oncologist, a radiation doctor, genetics doctor, plastic surgeon…and putting together that whole package of doctors for one individual woman can be very hard for her when she’s in the throws of a diagnosis,” says Port, explaining the mission behind the Dubin Breast Center, an environment where patients can get all of their care under one roof. Learn more about Port’s new book and this center in this short video.


Related: Why Doctors Recommend Yoga for Breast Cancer Patients


 

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