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Cancer of the Skin
http://www.100md.com 《新英格兰医药杂志》
     Despite advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of the causes of skin cancer, the incidence of cutaneous neoplasms continues to increase: there were more than 1.3 million reported cases in the United States in 2004. It is now estimated that a cutaneous neoplasm will develop in one in five persons born in the United States. Although the overwhelming majority of these neoplasms are basal-cell carcinomas and squamous-cell carcinomas, there were almost 60,000 cases of melanoma this past year.

    Considering the scope of the problem, relatively few textbooks deal with the entire spectrum of cancers of the skin. This excellent book, which updates the edition published more than a decade ago, fills that void. The editors have assembled an impressive array of leading experts in cutaneous oncology to write the chapters. This effort has resulted in a complete collection of the most up-to-date and relevant information regarding the diagnosis and management of skin cancer currently available in one source.

    The organization of the book is useful and logical. The book begins with an analysis of the cell biology, genetics, epidemiology, and etiology of skin cancers and then moves on to an assessment of basal-cell carcinoma and squamous-cell carcinoma, the two most common tumors of the skin. The detailed examination of one of the most lethal cutaneous malignant diseases, melanoma, is thorough and will be of great practical value to the clinician. The second half of the book reviews the less common cutaneous neoplasms, such as Merkel-cell carcinoma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. The last section covers the range of treatments in cutaneous oncology.

    This comprehensive and authoritative work is easy to read. Throughout, the text is supported by ample full-color clinical photographs and many informative tables and graphs in full color. The extensive use of color images is a substantial improvement over the previous edition. This edition also details numerous advances in cutaneous oncology, such as the use of topical immunomodulators and photodynamic therapy. Although the focus is primarily on the recognition and management of primary tumors of the skin, the book also considers such topics as sentinel-lymph-node biopsy (for melanoma) and radiation therapy, which are often omitted from traditional dermatologic textbooks.

    This book is an excellent primary resource for any physician seeking reliable and accessible information on cancer of the skin. It will also serve as a valuable ancillary resource for practitioners whose clinical duties involve the management of skin cancer, because it provides a thorough understanding of the biologic behavior, clinical presentation, and current treatment of malignant diseases of the skin.

    Brent E. Pennington, M.D.

    David J. Leffell, M.D.

    Yale University School of] Medicine

    New Haven, CT 06511

    david.leffell@yale.edu