One in three Americans will be diagnosed with cancer during his or her lifetime. Many patients, frightened by the diagnosis, surrender themselves completely to their doctor's control and become only marginally involved in the decision-making process and management of their own treatment. Cancer survivor Beverly Zakarian asserts that cancer patients can greatly increase their survival chances by taking an active role in their treatment. This book educates cancer patients on locating sources of legitimate cancer treatments that run the gamut from little-known ones to the very latest experimental therapies or drug trials. Based on her own experience and extensive research, the author discusses working constructively with a doctor, researching and evaluating treatment, and gaining access to the state-of-the-art and even experimental treatments.

Author Biography

BEVERLY ZAKARIAN is Executive Director and a cofounder of CAN ACT (Cancer Patients Action Alliance), the first activist cancer-patient organization and the first to identify the critical role of the FDA in the survival of people with the disease. As the spokesperson for CAN ACT, Ms. Zakarian has represented patient views before Congress, the President's Cancer Panel, and the FDA, and has written numerous articles about treatment issues. Ms. Zakarian lives in Brooklyn, New York.