Book Review

Cancer Pain

N Engl J Med 1993; 329:818September 9, 1993

Article

Cancer Pain
Edited by Richard B. Patt. 650 pp., illustrated. Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott, 1993. $79.50. ISBN: 0-397-51138-8

The contributors to Cancer Pain are well known and have added substantially to the science of pain management. The book provides a methodical, multidisciplinary approach to managing pain, while stressing respect for each specialty involved in the care of the patient.

Up-to-date and comprehensive information on pharmacologic strategies, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and psychobehavioral techniques in the treatment of cancer is presented in a coherent fashion. The chapter on assessing and treating cancer pain in children is particularly worthwhile; it probably represents the first organized attempt to deal with this topic.

The figures and tables are easy to comprehend and illustrate the text well. Some of the legends to the radiographs in the chapters on nerve block are somewhat unclear. The appendix represents an outstanding effort and will serve the clinician well in everyday management. However, the chapters on nerve block (peripheral, sympathetic, and neurolytic) lack conciseness and tend to be repetitive.

The book is readily comprehensible because it is well written and well executed. It will be most valuable to the anesthesiologist dedicated to pain management, the oncologist specializing in treating cancer pain, the radiation therapist, the psychiatrist, the physical therapist, and the rehabilitation specialist, as well as to the social worker. At its relatively modest price, it should be added to all hospital and anesthesiology department libraries.

Grigory Kizelshteyn, M.D.
New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595