From Library Journal
In her latest guide, medical writer Johnston takes a sweeping look at the clinical, financial, social, and research aspects of colon and rectal cancer. Unfortunately, owing to the vast amount of information amassed here, basic definitions and crucial explanations often lack clarity. Part of the problem is that the book lacks a streamlined approach to presenting data; chapters encompass far too many topics grouped under one broad subject. For example, "Modes of Treatment" lumps together the surgical, chemical, biological, radiological and stage/treatment fundamentals for both rectal and colon cancer. The result is a profusion of technical terms that are inadequately explained and poorly organized. Finally, as in her previous book, Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Options (LJ 5/1/99), Johnston provides ineffective Medline search strategies that yield over 1000 citations--which is sure to overwhelm and frustrate a novice (or sick) searcher. A better alternative would be the American Cancer Society: Colorectal Cancer (Random, 1999) by Bernard Levin. Not recommended.
-Gail Hendler, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Ctr., New York Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Lorraine Johnston is the wife of an eight-year lymphoma survivor and the daughter of a twenty-year lymphoma survivor. In the years since her husband's diagnosis, she's been involved in a number of support groups that offer emotional and practical support to lymphoma survivors. Her first book is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment & Options. In the course of her support group efforts, Lorraine has been interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer and by National Public Radio's Marketplace program regarding the best ways to find reliable medical information using a personal computer and various media such as the World Wide Web. She attempts to dispel the myths that access to sound medical information is cloaked in secrecy and that medical literature is impossible to interpret. Using her life-long love of biology and her degree in life sciences, she helps cancer survivors evaluate accurately the material they locate, emphasizing resources such as the National Cancer Institute's databases of treatments and clinical trials, and the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE, a collection of over nine million published medical research studies. Lorraine's years of study have included many courses in psychology, but she found that nothing in her educational background prepared her adequately for facing the terror and heartbreak of cancer. One of her chief interests is helping the newly diagnosed as well as long-term survivors feel less lonely and less afraid as they confront their diagnoses and weigh their options.
