Customer Reviews

Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology Single Volume (Book with CD-ROM)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
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Although the Devita text is a good resource, it has important drawbacks. In every edition, including the latest one, too much information has been out of date even at the first day of publication. Several other major oncology texts somehow manage to avoid this problem much better. Also, since the text comes out every two years, information in the current edition is already at least 3 years old or older. Beyond this, the index is detailed but it still is hard to find specific information, i.e., the book is clumsily organized. Finally, the CD version has the worst search program that I have ever used. You can enter information with any degree of specificity and the search will retrieve (at best) a list of chapters and major chapter sections in which to look. You then have to read through miles of text to find the information that you wanted. Searchability is one of the main reasons for buying a CD and I consider the Devita CD virtually worthless.

Devita is recognized as the established text-book on medical oncology.
Its strengths are 1. the excellent introduction to the science of oncology 2. the comprehensive reviews of each tumour type (inevitably dated as is almost every text-book) 3. a sufficient coverage of all modalities of treatment to allow the medical oncologist to appreciate the contribution of surgery, and radiation therapy 4. a number of useful discussions of common clinical scenarios.
Its weakness is twofold: 1. if you are looking for a clear recommendation or approach to a problem you will often be better served elsewhere 2. the writing is hard going with a strong tendency to turgid US academic prose.
So who should read it? Any medical oncology fellow should read this or one of the similar books cover to cover. For consultants it is a useful starting point to review a condition not often seen, or provide a background to the field. In contrast to another reviewer I cannot believe a lay-person without a very strong health science background will be able to wade through it.

The reference in the oncology book for students, oncologists and specialists involved in cancer treatment

This immensely readable text is a gold-mine for anyone interested in cancer. It is a blessing that this text exists for understanding the pathology, treatment and prognoses of various cancers

this book is considered one of the text...that make the specialest so much satisfied by the quality and quantity of the information it contain and the it is discussed. but for us in middle east it is very [pricey]. you will understand that when you know that my monthly salary as an assesstent lecturer inradiation oncology dept.; Alazhar university, Cairo, Egypt;... a low price edition will be much helpful and very wise to prevent illegal copying of the book. thanks a lote