Book Review

Management of Urologic Malignancies

N Engl J Med 2003; 348:2049-2050May 15, 2003

Article

Management of Urologic Malignancies
Edited by Freddie C. Hamdy, Joseph W. Basler, David E. Neal, and William J. Catalona. 628 pp., illustrated. London, Churchill Livingstone, 2002. $149. ISBN: 0-443-05478-9

Management of Urologic Malignancies focuses on a simplified approach to treating patients with cancers of the genitourinary tract. The goal, as stated in the preface, is for the book to serve as a reference source for the clinician, regardless of whether he or she is a specialist in urology. The information is concise, practical, and directed toward the more common areas of urologic oncology. The book purposely avoids esoteric topics and focuses instead on day-to-day clinical problems.

The authors, principally from Europe and North America, are recognized experts. With few exceptions, most proceed according to an apparent template, which makes for easy reference. Where there are geographic differences in treatment, the editors have attempted to present both sides objectively. For this reason, the reader has a sense of regional biases and the arguments supporting them.

The flow of information is simple, logical, and intuitive. The format is uniform: each chapter covers incidence, etiology, epidemiology, natural history, pathology, presentation, diagnosis, and staging, as well as the various treatment options available. There are brief descriptions of the various surgical procedures and their outcomes, but there is no in-depth discussion of surgical technique, since the book is not intended to serve as a surgical atlas.

Except for minor variations among the authors' presentations, the format remains true to the mission of the book. Useful teaching aids are provided, including focused tables, figures, and algorithms for patient care. I found the algorithms to be highly useful because they allow the reader to walk through each clinical scenario in a logical, stepwise fashion. They will be understandable to and useful for both the primary care doctor and the specialist. Should the reader desire to pursue them, in-depth discussions are available in the body of the text and in the lists of references.

The book has two drawbacks. First, many of the chapters, lacking the most current information and references, are already and unavoidably dated. A second drawback is the repetition of background information; with many chapters focused on specific cancers, there is some redundancy, particularly in the introductory segments.

This book will not replace the more comprehensive, established textbooks in the area of urologic cancer. It should, however, appeal to a broad readership because it avoids rare and esoteric topics and instead addresses urologic cancer in a practical fashion. It should be a welcome reference work in the medical library as well as in the clinical setting.

Thomas W. Jarrett, M.D.
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287
twj@jhmi.edu