Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis in Women
http://www.100md.com
《新英格兰医药杂志》
Reviews of progress in the 30-year "war on cancer" have been mixed. Yes, the incidence and death rates of cancer have been declining for the past decade. But these trends pale in comparison with the dramatic declines for heart disease and stroke. If current trends continue, cancer is expected to be the leading cause of death in the United States by 2010. What is most disconcerting is that this would not have to be the case if only we put into practice what we already know about the prevention and early detection of cancer.
With this as the challenge, Dr. Alberto Manetta presents Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis in Women in order to "furnish health care providers with the information needed for the assessment of risk, prevention, and early diagnosis of cancer in women." He has brought together 17 authors with expertise in the etiology, prevention, and early detection of cancer. Each of the major cancers that afflict women — lung, breast, colorectal, and skin — is covered, with special emphasis on gynecologic cancers (i.e., cervical, vaginal, vulvar, ovarian, and uterine). Additional chapters address the intersecting issues of screening and genetic testing for cancer as well as the role of complementary therapies in its prevention.
This book is well organized, and each of the 12 chapters is cogent and extensively referenced. The writing style is conversational and encourages one to read each chapter from start to finish. For example, the chapter on lung cancer appropriately includes an extensive discussion of the prevention and cessation of smoking. The chapter on genetic testing is balanced and includes a provocative discussion of the legal and ethical implications of screening, covering issues of informed consent, medical privacy, and psychosocial risks.
Despite its strengths, the book suffers from a lack of consensus on screening guidelines, with some authors citing the American Cancer Society guidelines and others providing screening recommendations without attribution. This lack of consensus will propagate confusion among practitioners, who are left to decide which guidelines best suit their needs. At a minimum, authors should cite the existing screening guidelines of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and discuss the rationale for their own recommendation.
In addition, the book would be more useful if Manetta and colleagues had synthesized the many recommendations for prevention and early diagnosis into a concise summary of what doctors need to know. Such a chapter could have listed the "top 10" things for a clinician to do when considering the prevention and early detection of cancer, or it could have included a section on "how to prevent cancer (or find it early) in less than 10 minutes a day." With such a summary, a busy clinician could read this book and not miss the forest for the trees.
Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis in Women can be read from cover to cover, or it can be used as an occasional reference. Despite the rapid evolution in the science of the prevention and early detection of cancer, Manetta has provided a valuable reference for students, clinicians, and researchers for years to come.
Patrick L. Remington, M.D., M.P.H.
University of Wisconsin Medical School
Madison, WI 53705
plreming@wisc.edu(Edited by Alberto Manetta)
With this as the challenge, Dr. Alberto Manetta presents Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis in Women in order to "furnish health care providers with the information needed for the assessment of risk, prevention, and early diagnosis of cancer in women." He has brought together 17 authors with expertise in the etiology, prevention, and early detection of cancer. Each of the major cancers that afflict women — lung, breast, colorectal, and skin — is covered, with special emphasis on gynecologic cancers (i.e., cervical, vaginal, vulvar, ovarian, and uterine). Additional chapters address the intersecting issues of screening and genetic testing for cancer as well as the role of complementary therapies in its prevention.
This book is well organized, and each of the 12 chapters is cogent and extensively referenced. The writing style is conversational and encourages one to read each chapter from start to finish. For example, the chapter on lung cancer appropriately includes an extensive discussion of the prevention and cessation of smoking. The chapter on genetic testing is balanced and includes a provocative discussion of the legal and ethical implications of screening, covering issues of informed consent, medical privacy, and psychosocial risks.
Despite its strengths, the book suffers from a lack of consensus on screening guidelines, with some authors citing the American Cancer Society guidelines and others providing screening recommendations without attribution. This lack of consensus will propagate confusion among practitioners, who are left to decide which guidelines best suit their needs. At a minimum, authors should cite the existing screening guidelines of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and discuss the rationale for their own recommendation.
In addition, the book would be more useful if Manetta and colleagues had synthesized the many recommendations for prevention and early diagnosis into a concise summary of what doctors need to know. Such a chapter could have listed the "top 10" things for a clinician to do when considering the prevention and early detection of cancer, or it could have included a section on "how to prevent cancer (or find it early) in less than 10 minutes a day." With such a summary, a busy clinician could read this book and not miss the forest for the trees.
Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis in Women can be read from cover to cover, or it can be used as an occasional reference. Despite the rapid evolution in the science of the prevention and early detection of cancer, Manetta has provided a valuable reference for students, clinicians, and researchers for years to come.
Patrick L. Remington, M.D., M.P.H.
University of Wisconsin Medical School
Madison, WI 53705
plreming@wisc.edu(Edited by Alberto Manetta)