An Illustrated Guide to Skin Lymphoma (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Kevin Gatter (Author), Helmut Kerl (Author) "It is becoming increasingly evident that primary cutaneous lymphomas represent distinct clinical and histopathological subtypes of extranodal lymphomas [1-7]..." (more)
Key Phrases: follicle centre cell lymphoma, large cell transformation, cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma, Acad Dermatol, Arch Dermatol, Surg Pathol (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

The classification of lymphomas has been a challenge to our intellect and to our science. Over the past 40 years, we have moved through numerous classification schemes, which have varied in usefulness. Some schemes were purely morphologic classifications with some clinical implications, such as those based on whether the tumor cells were small, medium, or large lymphocytes (e.g., the Rappaport classification). Others have been more clinically oriented and have encompassed a number of different morphologic types; for example, in the Working Formulation, lymphomas were grouped into low, intermediate, and high grades according to their clinical behavior. High-grade lymphomas included both small-noncleaved-cell lymphomas and large-cell, anaplastic lymphomas. Later, attempts were made to incorporate immunohistochemical and molecular genetic data into the classifications, such that T-cell and B-cell lymphomas were separated (e.g., the Lukes-Collins and Kiel classifications).

While the gurus of lymph-node pathology struggled with these classifications, many ignored lymphomas arising in the skin and relegated them to the "other" category. Now there is renewed interest in cutaneous lymphomas, primarily because of the recognition that they are not rare oddities but, rather, are common and potentially lethal disorders. Early studies that failed to separate T-cell and B-cell lymphomas pooled disparate entities on the basis of their clinical behavior: for instance, mycosis fungoides (a T-cell lymphoma presenting initially in the skin) was categorized with B-cell lymphomas, which can be primary or secondary in the skin. Such B-cell lymphomas are often discrete, purplish nodules in the skin and were misclassified as "mycosis fungoides d'emblee," or mycosis fungoides arising as new tumors of the skin. With the introduction of modern immunohistochemistry and genetic techniques, these lymphomas have been distinguished, and a clearer classification has been based on specific disease "entities" in lymphoma. For instance, a single disease can start as a small-cell lymphoma and progress to a large-cell lymphoma. Examples of this approach to classification are the Revised European-American Lymphoma (REAL) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) classifications, and now the World Health Organization (WHO) classification.

An Illustrated Guide to Skin Lymphoma arrives at just the right moment to help us apply these new classifications to skin lymphomas. The authors are recognized experts in this area and have produced an outstanding book. It will help experts and beginners to understand the clinical and histologic appearances of the lymphomas as they involve the skin. The book is valuable for its brevity (only about 120 pages), for the excellence of its illustrations, and for the lucidity of its text, which is kept as simple as possible. The authors restrict citations to the key 3 to 20 references, rather than trying to be encyclopedic. The text itself is augmented by the generous and skillful use of tables of data. The book is basically an atlas with some commentary on the entities, but it is a highly useful presentation. Almost all the illustrations are in full color and of astonishingly high quality. The technical aspects of the histologic preparations are nearly flawless, showing the devotion of the authors to high standards of both science and art.

In this book there is something for everyone to learn. Even though it was conceived during 1997 and published in 1998, the concepts remain appropriate and make it a valuable addition to one's library and to one's thoughts.

Reviewed by N. Scott McNutt, M.D.
Copyright © 1999 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Reviews for second edition:

"The authoritative text to reference if you are caring for cutaneous lymphoma patients. The many tables summarize the immunophenotyping, staging, classification, and presentations of lymphoma. The histologic micrographs are of very good quality ... an excellent effort on evaluating the current knowledge of the etiology, work-up, histology, and treatment of cutaneous lymphoma." Doody's Book Review Service<!--end-->

“The title is right on target … filled with beautiful and crisp illustrations ….Any trainee or practitioner … might look upon this as their book for quite a while.”
Journal of the American Medical Association

Reviews for 1st edition:

"The authors are recognized experts in this area and have produced an outstanding book. The book is valuable for its brevity, for the excellence of its illustrations, and for the lucidity of its text."
New England Journal of Medicine

"The book is of high educational value."
Skin Research and Technology

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (August 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405113766
• ISBN-13: 978-1405113762
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,081,056 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Straight Scoop on Rare Lymphomas, November 20, 2005

By	Lymphoma Survivor "11 years :-)" (USA) - See all my reviews

Detailed information on lymphomas of the skin is extremely rare. Actual diagnosis is very hard as patients go from doctor to doctor. This book, while aimed a bit more towards professionals, is still is a wealth of information for the patient or loved one who looks for information on cutaneous/skin lymphomas when it is not obtainable elsewhere.

While the photos may be a bit much for a person newly diagnosed, a patient who has lived with such a lymphoma would value the information in the book.