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Gliomas — Current concepts in biology, diagnosis and therapy
212
Gliomas - - Current Concepts in Biology, Diagnosis and Therapy ( R e c e n t R e s u l t s m C a n c e r R e s e a r c h , Vol. 51) ( P r o c e e d i n g s o f S y m p o s i u m o n C e r e b r a l G l i o m a s , C h i c a g o , 1 8 - 1 9 M a y , 1974), b y J . H e k m a t p a n a h
( E d . ) , x t 164 p a g e s , 67 i l l u s t r a t i o n s , S p r i n g e r -
V e r l a g , Berlin, H e i d e l b e r g , N e w Y o r k , 1975, D M 54.00, U S $ 23.30. This book consists of the papers delivered at a symposium on "Cerebral Gliomas" held at the University of Chicago in May 1974 and sponsored by the Swiss League against Cancer. Of the three sessions of the conference the first was devoted to some aspects of the pathology of human and experimental gliomas, the second to neuroradiological topics with two papers on treatment, and the third largely to special aspects of therapy, particularly chemotherapy, conventional radiation and combined therapeutic trials. The book thus covers a wide field of recent work relating to cerebral gliomas and on the whole, does it extremely well. The meeting, in addition to fulfilling the purpose of producing a further volume in Cancer Research, was the 6th biennial cancer teaching symposium at the University of Chicago and one aim was, to quote the opening speaker Dr. R. W. Wissler, "to bring to our house stall', students and young f a c u l t y . . , the most up-to-date information on various aspects o r a single subject in the field of clinical neoplasia". There cannot be many teaching programmes that would bring together such workers in the field of gliomas or result in more carefully prepared and informative papers. H. M. Zimmerman reviews "The significance of experimental gliomas for human disease" and Dr. D. D. Bigner and his colleagues describe, with considerable technical details, a model for therapeutic screening produced by the use of the Avian Oncornavirus-lnduced Primary Rat Brain Tumour in which they have succeeded in producing gliomas in 100% of inoculated young rats. L. J. Rubinstein and M. M. Herman have produced elegant "Studies on the differentiation of human and experimental gliomas in organ culture s~stems" and Drs. Arnold and Burrows talked on the beautiful and obviously satisfying, if not so immediately useful, results of scanning electron microscopy. In the second session P. Weinberg reviews some neuroradiological techniques with particular attention to angiography and the patterns of vascular filling on which diagnosis may be based, M. S. Huckman reviews "Computerized tomography" but it must be remembered that this was at a time when little experience of the EMI scanner had been obtained. W. V. Stewart writes on the newer technique of heavy ion (Proton) radiography in medical diagnosis, a procedure which will clearly be more fully extended and developed. The papers on treatment start with a contribution by the distinguished neurosurgeon Paul Bucy followed by a series of experts in the field of neurosurgical, chemotherapeutic and radiation techniques as applied to malignant gliomas. The final paper is an encouraging account by C. H. Chang of some of the newer radiotherapeutic and combined methods. The papers are all of high quality and all give adequate and up-to-date references for those wanting to go deeper into the topics discussed. The relatively small numbers of illustrations are of reasonable quality. My only objection to the book is the rather fine, closely-spaced printing which makes rapid reading somewhat difficult. This is a book, however, which routine and experimental neuropathologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists, and those concerned with the rapidly developing techniques of combined radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy in relation to cerebral gliomas, will find very well worthwile. B. E. Tomlinson
Essentials of Neurology, 4 t h e d i t i o n , b y J o h n N. W a l t o n , xvii -+- 477 p a g e s , i l l u s t r a t e d , Pitman Medical, London,
1975, £ 6.50.
In the preface to the first edition, the author stated his main aim which was to aid the undergraduate and post-graduate student "to learn the principles of neurological diagnosis and treatment". The fact that this review concerns the 4th edition of the book is an indication that he has succeeded in his aim. The reasons for the book's popularity are easy to understand. The approach is a clinical one and the author makes repeated use of his own very considerable experience and this makes a major contribution to the value of the book. The prose style is easy to read since it is always lucid.
Gliomas - - Current Concepts in Biology, Diagnosis and Therapy ( R e c e n t R e s u l t s m C a n c e r R e s e a r c h , Vol. 51) ( P r o c e e d i n g s o f S y m p o s i u m o n C e r e b r a l G l i o m a s , C h i c a g o , 1 8 - 1 9 M a y , 1974), b y J . H e k m a t p a n a h
( E d . ) , x t 164 p a g e s , 67 i l l u s t r a t i o n s , S p r i n g e r -
V e r l a g , Berlin, H e i d e l b e r g , N e w Y o r k , 1975, D M 54.00, U S $ 23.30. This book consists of the papers delivered at a symposium on "Cerebral Gliomas" held at the University of Chicago in May 1974 and sponsored by the Swiss League against Cancer. Of the three sessions of the conference the first was devoted to some aspects of the pathology of human and experimental gliomas, the second to neuroradiological topics with two papers on treatment, and the third largely to special aspects of therapy, particularly chemotherapy, conventional radiation and combined therapeutic trials. The book thus covers a wide field of recent work relating to cerebral gliomas and on the whole, does it extremely well. The meeting, in addition to fulfilling the purpose of producing a further volume in Cancer Research, was the 6th biennial cancer teaching symposium at the University of Chicago and one aim was, to quote the opening speaker Dr. R. W. Wissler, "to bring to our house stall', students and young f a c u l t y . . , the most up-to-date information on various aspects o r a single subject in the field of clinical neoplasia". There cannot be many teaching programmes that would bring together such workers in the field of gliomas or result in more carefully prepared and informative papers. H. M. Zimmerman reviews "The significance of experimental gliomas for human disease" and Dr. D. D. Bigner and his colleagues describe, with considerable technical details, a model for therapeutic screening produced by the use of the Avian Oncornavirus-lnduced Primary Rat Brain Tumour in which they have succeeded in producing gliomas in 100% of inoculated young rats. L. J. Rubinstein and M. M. Herman have produced elegant "Studies on the differentiation of human and experimental gliomas in organ culture s~stems" and Drs. Arnold and Burrows talked on the beautiful and obviously satisfying, if not so immediately useful, results of scanning electron microscopy. In the second session P. Weinberg reviews some neuroradiological techniques with particular attention to angiography and the patterns of vascular filling on which diagnosis may be based, M. S. Huckman reviews "Computerized tomography" but it must be remembered that this was at a time when little experience of the EMI scanner had been obtained. W. V. Stewart writes on the newer technique of heavy ion (Proton) radiography in medical diagnosis, a procedure which will clearly be more fully extended and developed. The papers on treatment start with a contribution by the distinguished neurosurgeon Paul Bucy followed by a series of experts in the field of neurosurgical, chemotherapeutic and radiation techniques as applied to malignant gliomas. The final paper is an encouraging account by C. H. Chang of some of the newer radiotherapeutic and combined methods. The papers are all of high quality and all give adequate and up-to-date references for those wanting to go deeper into the topics discussed. The relatively small numbers of illustrations are of reasonable quality. My only objection to the book is the rather fine, closely-spaced printing which makes rapid reading somewhat difficult. This is a book, however, which routine and experimental neuropathologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists, and those concerned with the rapidly developing techniques of combined radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy in relation to cerebral gliomas, will find very well worthwile. B. E. Tomlinson
Essentials of Neurology, 4 t h e d i t i o n , b y J o h n N. W a l t o n , xvii -+- 477 p a g e s , i l l u s t r a t e d , Pitman Medical, London,
1975, £ 6.50.
In the preface to the first edition, the author stated his main aim which was to aid the undergraduate and post-graduate student "to learn the principles of neurological diagnosis and treatment". The fact that this review concerns the 4th edition of the book is an indication that he has succeeded in his aim. The reasons for the book's popularity are easy to understand. The approach is a clinical one and the author makes repeated use of his own very considerable experience and this makes a major contribution to the value of the book. The prose style is easy to read since it is always lucid.