The editors of this book are prominent surgical oncologists. They have recruited an impressive array of authors who are usually the leading investigators in the area covered. Although there are adequate chapters on advanced disease and adjuvant therapy, these constitute a relatively small part of the overall text.
As suggested by the title, the book offers a large section on benign disease, an area that is poorly covered by most standard texts. It is also a weak area for most surgical residents because they have limited exposure to outpatient clinics. It is of course a large part of most breast surgeons’ clinical practice. The chapters on recurrent breast abscess and mastalgia are particularly well written. The chapter on male gynecomastia is less well done.
Despite the book’s comprehensive nature, there are some disappointing weaknesses. The book contains a large volume of data on the genetics of breast cancer but surprisingly little on prophylactic mastectomy. I was unable to find much information on lobular carcinoma, for example, or on breast cancer treatment in the geriatric population. The chapter on prognostic variables was also a bit disappointing.
One of the book’s strengths is the up-to-date information on recent “hot topics” and the authoritative chapters by the leading surgeons in the field. For example, there is an excellent chapter on surgical treatment without axillary dissection by Cady and another on sentinel node biopsy by Guiliano. There is also an up-to-date chapter on angiogenesis by Folkman, outlining the recent exciting data on endostatin and angiostatin. The chapter on mammography is well illustrated and of outstanding quality.
Overall, this is probably the most definitive text on breast surgery available and an important reference for all residents and clinicians practising breast surgery. I confess that I did not have the first edition on my bookshelf. That was a mistake.