My Child Has Cancer: A Parent's Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survival »

DELLA L. HOWELL, M.D. is a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist in San Antonio, Texas, overseeing the care of patients with cancer and other blood disorders. She earned her medical degree at Virginia Commonwealth University, completed her Internship and Residency in Pediatrics at the San Antonio Military Pediatric Consortium, and completed a Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Emory University. Herself a cancer patient, she has a special interest in day-to-day aspects of life with cancer, including innovative cancer treatments and psychosocial issues for cancer patients and long-term survival. Howell lives in Texas with her husband of 12 years and her three young children.

They are four words that can terrify any parent to the core: Your child has cancer. Each year more than 13,000 children and teenagers are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. The shock and demands of that diagnosis can be overwhelming for the parents, children, family, and friends as they face the emotions, along with the need to understand what the diagnosis means as well as what treatments are available and which are right for them. Parents, family members, friends, and professionals in healthcare will find support in this book. Written by a specialist in Pediatric Oncology, who is herself a cancer survivor as well as the mother of three young children, this book is clearly-stated and offers comprehensive information about the cancers that strike our youngest.

They are four words that can terrify any parent to the core: Your child has cancer. Each year, more than 13,000 children and teenagers in the United States are diagnosed with cancer. The shock and demands of that diagnosis can be overwhelming for the parents, children, family members, and friends, as they face the emotions along with the need to understand what the diagnosis means, what treatments are available and which are right for them. In this book, there is support for all. Written by a specialist in Pediatric Oncology who is herself a cancer patient as well as the mother of three young children, this guide offers clearly stated and comprehensive information about the cancers that strike our youngest.

Dr. Howell explains the 12 types of childhood cancer, with leukemias and tumors of the brain and nervous system most common. She tells us what the overall prognosis is, and how cancers affect children differently than they do adults, as well as what little is known about the causes, and she details the controversies on that subject. Howell explains common procedures and tests before, during, and after therapy, as well as the potential side effects. This compassionate physician does not ignore the vitally important issues of emotion—how to find the calm and strength to help the child or teen and be his or her best advocate, how to tell the child the diagnosis, what questions to anticipate, and how to deal with other family members and friends.

Introduction

Chapter 1: What Is Cancer and How Does It Affect Children Differently than Adults?

Chapter 2: The Types of Cancer That Affect Children, Part I Leukemia

Chapter 3: The Types of Cancer That Affect Children, Part II Lymphoma

Chapter 4: The Types of Cancer That Affect Children, Part III Brain Tumors, Neuroblastoma, and Kidney Tumors

Chapter 5: The Types of Cancer That Affect Children, Part IV Bone Tumors and Muscle Tumors

Chapter 6: The Types of Cancer That Affect Children, Part V Rare Pediatric Cancer Diagnoses

Chapter 7: Telling the Child: When, How, and the Questions He or She May Ask

Chapter 8: Procedures at Diagnosis, in Therapy and After Therapy: An Overview

Chapter 9: Chemotherapy and Taking Medicines

Chapter 10: Radiation Therapy

Chapter 11: Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplants

Chapter 12: Common Side Effects during and after Treatment

Chapter 13: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Cancer

Chapter 14: Choosing among Potential Treatments

Chapter 15: Understanding the Medical System and Questioning Authority; Knowing Who to Trust

Chapter 16: Understanding Clinical Trials, Coping with Guinea Pig Concerns

Chapter 17: Asking Questions, Finding Answers: Why Did This Happen to Our Family? Will My Child Lead a Normal Life? How Does Cancer Affect My Childs Future as an Adult?

Chapter 18: Helping Family Members and Friends Deal with the Diagnosis

Chapter 19: When Cancer Treatments Stop Working: Dealing with the Death of a Child

Conclusion

Appendix: Resources for Children, Adolescents, and Parents Dealing with Pediatric Cancer