In putting together what Enneking, in the preface, calls a "state of the art summation of musculoskeletal oncology," Simon and Springfield enlisted nine section editors and forty-five additional contributors from the United States and abroad, all of whom are authorities in their fields. Although the book is multiauthored, it is clearly a sequel to Enneking's text Musculoskeletal Tumor Surgery. It is intended primarily for orthopaedic oncologists and secondarily for residents, fellows, pathologists, and radiologists.
Brief chapters on natural history, cellular and molecular biology, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy provide the basis for more detailed chapters on specific topics, including benign and malignant bone tumors, soft-tissue tumors, and metastatic bone tumors. All aspects of patient care, including diagnosis, pain management, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, psychological and emotional concerns, indications for operative treatment, operative techniques, and complications of treatment are presented. However, some topics are discussed rather superficially, and many of the descriptions of operative techniques are not complete enough to guide a surgeon through a procedure unless he or she is already familiar with it.
The numerous tables and graphs convey detailed information in an easy-to-understand manner, and the anatomical drawings and imaging studies are excellent throughout. The bibliographies in most sections are adequate but not extensive.
Because this text truly presents state-of-the-art techniques that may not be available to all practitioners, it probably will be most useful in the libraries of orthopaedic departments and for individuals who specialize in orthopaedic oncology.
Peter G. Carnesale, M.D.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
University of Tennessee-Campbell Clinic
Memphis, Tennessee