Comprehensive Textbook of Genitourinary Oncology

Comprehensive Textbook of Genitourinary Oncology

384 BOOK REVIEWS the Approach to Clinical Problems" and includes sections on diagnostic testing and commonly used therapies. The subsequent eight pa...

1MB Sizes 36 Downloads 422 Views

384

BOOK REVIEWS

the Approach to Clinical Problems" and includes sections on diagnostic testing and commonly used therapies. The subsequent eight parts address traditional categories of neurologic disease: Cerebrovascular Disease, Immune and Infectious Disease, Spinal Cord and Peripheral Neuromuscular Disease, Movement Disorders, Behavioral Neurology and Epilepsy, Neuro-oncology, Neurology in General Medicine, and Headache and Pain. The emphasis is on clinical diagnosis and treatment. Explicit recommendations are offered. Scientific background is included only as needed to support clinical decision making. Strengths: The editors enlisted the help of an excellent group of authors. In general, the recommendations and suggested readings at the end of each chapter are current. Deficiencies: The text includes redundant presentations of some information, and the writing style varies from chapter to chapter. In addition, clinical conditions are covered unevenly-for example, eight pages are devoted to aortic dissection, but only a few scattered paragraphs discuss trigeminal neuralgia. Recommended Readership: I recommend this book to all clinicians who need a general textbook of ambulatory neurology. Overall Grading:

****

J. D. Bartleson, M.D., Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota

Comprehensive Textbook of Genitourinary Oncology, edited by Nicholas J. Vogelzang, Peter T. Scardino, William U. Shipley, and Donald S. Coffey, 1,181 pp, with illus, $160, Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins (telephone: 800-638-0672), 1996, ISBN 0683-08599-9

Type of Book: A multiauthored textbook written by faculty from various institutions that represent a wide array of research and clinical disciplines. Scope of Book: As the title implies, this book comprehensively reviews the field of genitourinary oncology, from basic science aspects to the management of advanced disease. Contents: The book is divided into seven sections. The first section, an overview of genitourinary oncology, is devoted to the design and analysis of clinical trials, supportive care, and basic information on molecular biologic considerations and carcinogenesis. The second section reviews pediatric tumors. Sections 3 through 6 focus on the primary sites of genitourinary tumors: the kidney, bladder, prostate, and testis. For each area, a detailed discussion of the clinical manifestations, epidemiologic factors, pathologic and molecular biologic features, imaging techniques, and treatment strategies, including surgical procedures, irradiation, and chemotherapy, is presented. The last section examines rare malignant urologic diseases, including penile cancer, urethral tumors, genitourinary sarcomas, and lymphomas. Strengths: This is a remarkably comprehensive review of genitourinary oncology. The editors, four leading authorities in the field, enlisted the help of many excellent authors to make this work succeed. The chapters are well referenced and up to date.

Mayo Clio Proc, April 1997, Vol 72

Deficiencies: It is hard to find much fault with this book. The amount of overlapping material is minimal, an outcome that is difficult to achieve in a multiauthored text. Recommended Readership: I highly recommend this book as an authoritative reference source for all who practice in the field of genitourinary oncology. Overall Grading:

*****

Patrick A. Burch, M.D., Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota

Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery: An Integrated Program in Dermatology (in 2 vols), edited by Kenneth A. Arndt, Philip E. LeBoit, June K. Robinson, and Bruce U. Wintroub, 1,945 pp, with illus, $250, Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders Company (telephone: 800-545-2522), 1996, ISBN 0-7216-4852-5

Type of Book: A comprehensive multiauthored textbook that, according to the preface, is the "flagship" for an integrated educational program in dermatology. Scope of Book: This all-inclusive text provides an exhaustive review of medical dermatology and broad coverage of cutaneous surgery. Contents: The chapters in the text, which is divided into 13 sections, are logically arranged to review the structure and function of skin in health and disease. Interestingly, the book includes two supplemental tables of contents that list the chapters alphabetically under therapeutic and biologic headings, a helpful format for locating specific topics. The book is generally well written and, despite an authorship of more than 275 contributors, surprisingly consistent. The text includes a few excellent medical illustrations, numerous tables and flow diagrams that effectively summarize and organize the presentations, and many black-and-white photographs and photomicrographs of somewhat variable quality that illustrate the various disorders and diseases. Strengths: For an inaugural edition, this is an extremely wellorganized, comprehensive resource. The user-friendly, logically flowing, and information-packed format is excellent, if not innovative. The concept of an integrated program-an atlas of cutaneous surgery, a self-assessment and review workbook, and a correlative pocket guide that complement this textbook are available for purchase separately-is a great contribution to the dispensation of medical information and likely will be a model for future major texts. Deficiencies: Some of the photographs are of modest quality, although most adequately illustrate the intended point. Recommended Readership: This textbook is a "must" for academic medical centers and serious students of dermatology. Anyone interested in a well-written, comprehensive textbook on dermatology should add this book to their medical information resources. Overall Grading:

*****

David G. Brodland, M.D., Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota

For personal use. Mass reproduce only with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings.