Cancers of the Mouth and Throat: A Patient's Guide to Treatment
Patients and family members seeking comprehensive coverage of mouth and throat cancers will get little help from this latest guide by otolaryngologist Lydiatt and plastic and reconstructive surgeon Johnson. Sadly, this well-written and easy-to-read guide falls short in detailing the specifics. For example, the chemotherapy section presents a good overview of how cancer drugs fight the disease but fails to name or provide data on the specific drugs used to combat each type of cancer. Similarly, the surgery chapter is supplemented in the appendix by brief explanations of each mouth and throat operation, but these explanations do not explain clearly the unique features, risks, and complications of each procedure. Patrons would be better advised to look at chapter "Head and Neck Cancers" in The American Cancer Society's Informed Decisions (NAL, 1999) until a more thorough, patient-friendly text is available. Not recommended.AGail Hendler, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Ctr., New YorkCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.