A Primer in Breast Cancer, First Edition: Endocrinology of Breast Cancer, edited by Andrea Manni

Totowa, Humana, 1999, $125.00 (x + 391 pages)ISBN 0-896-03591-3.The aim of this collection of reviews is well stated in the preface by the Editor. Amalgamated into one text are 23 individual authors’ contributions on: the endocrine aspects of hormonal control of mammary development and growth; carcinogenesis; tumor progression; estrogen; progestins and prolactin in breast cancer biology; targets for treatment; endocrine therapy of breast cancer; and benign breast disease. The contributions are quite up to date and are augmented by a subject index.In the words of the Editor: ‘the major object of Endocrinology of Breast Cancer is to integrate (this) wealth of multidisciplinary information into a single volume that will constitute a highly useful reference for all those basic scientists and clinicians from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in breast cancer’. The book accomplishes this and will serve as a comprehensive reference for students, physicians in training, practitioners and investigators. While it is a broad treatment of the subject, like many texts containing contributions by working scientists, the individual reviews tend to be aimed at enlightening those actively working inside, rather than outside, the field.I found the book most helpful as an encyclopedic description of the subject matter. However, in this role, it needs more of the kind of editing and integration that makes for the ‘great’ rather than the ‘good’ review text. This opinion does not simply arise from the presence of overlapping subject areas, which is certainly to be expected. Rather, it is the disposition of the overlaps that offers an example of how the text could be improved and how areas of apparent contradiction between authors could be clarified. For example, the relationship of hormone replacement therapy to breast cancer is treated in at least three of the chapters, with conflicting conclusions that leave the reader without clear guidance. Greater integration, or an Editor’s comment on controversial areas, would have been helpful.The authors of individual contributions were well chosen and are generally at the leading edge of their fields. Their prose is lucid, probably reflecting redactional rigor by Professor Manni and his staff. Unfortunately, the book is not technically up to the same standard. Illustrations are often difficult to read and appear to be ‘copies of copies’. Couple this with the small print and you have illustrations and tables that are extremely difficult to read. The publisher is also at fault for not furnishing an exhaustively developed and cross-referenced subject index that would allow the book to serve as a more valuable and lasting resource.Edited texts are often the proceedings of a symposium or workshop, but this appears not to have been the case here. Therefore, after reading this book and considering its goals, I give Dr Manni high marks for having pulled it all together. The goal was to furnish a new, state-of-the-art, reference text to fill an important gap. However, this is a very rapidly developing field and this book already requires a second edition to be in progress if the concept and content are to remain current and useful in an ongoing manner. It will be a pleasure to see the next edition with the increased editing and technical support, which will make it a standard reference text.