Gastroenterology 2014;146:316–318
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS Joel H. Rubenstein, Section Editor Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Giovanni de Manzoni, editor. 272 pp. $149.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2012. ISBN: 97888-470-2330-7. Web address for ordering: www.springer.com.
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
««««
Improvement over previously available media
«««««
Style of presentation and formatting
«««««
Quality of figures
««««
Overall
««««
Stars: «: poor; ««: adequate; «««: fair; ««««: good; «««««: excellent.
The treatment of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is a highly complex, multidisciplinary process, requiring a well-orchestrated progression of medical and surgical interventions. Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma is an excellent reference for clinicians caring for these patients as well as scholars interested in esophageal cancer. The aim of the textbook is to provide an in-depth review of the current understanding of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell cancer and to review controversial topics. Written by a surgeon, the almost singular focus on malignant processes of the foregut that has characterized Professor de Manzoni’s career is evident and, overall, the textbook is successful in achieving these aims. Well-organized, with appropriate division of the topics into clinically relevant sections and chapters, the textbook is an excellent overview text as well as a quick reference tool to address specific questions. The chapters are well-written and edited, with remarkable consistency in the writing style and comprehensiveness of the topic review between chapters, despite multiple authors. This renders the text easy to read and understand. The strengths of the text began in the planning stages, when a very thorough list of the critical topics of interest to the reader was compiled. The table of contents is informative and the ordering of chapters is intuitive; because they are thoughtfully ordered, each topic appropriately informs the review and understanding of the next set of topics. The illustrations, tables, and figures are informative and add to the
existing text, without being repetitive. The references, with few exceptions, are appropriate and recent, providing a current understanding of the topic. The subject index is adequate to guide readers to specific topics. The text begins with an overview of the epidemiology of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell cancers, and then proceeds with chapters dedicated to staging and classification, pretreatment workup, molecular biology in evaluation of tumor response, and progresses through critical decision points regarding treatment options, and immediate and long-term outcomes. The text does not neglect the topics that are most relevant to the patient, where success is defined not only by the elimination of the cancer, but also by the preservation of quality of life and normal functioning. Individual chapters review the utility of various staging and treatment modalities in great detail, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each and providing a quick but thorough resource for students or clinicians who may be less familiar with this disease. High-quality figures illustrating the findings add substantially to the value of the review. This text is not designed as a step-by-step surgical instruction manual and, for rapidly advancing topics, is already somewhat dated with regard to the topic. This is especially true for the chapter on minimally invasive esophagectomy, which asserts that this approach is controversial. Although technically challenging and requiring extensive expertise in advanced laparoscopic techniques, the oncologic safety of minimally invasive esophagectomy in the management of esophageal cancer, based on randomized clinical trials and multiple retrospective publications with significant numbers of patients from our center and others, has been established. In addition, the use of endoscopic therapies for management of early stage esophageal cancer is of considerable interest and could easily have been reviewed as a stand-alone chapter. Instead, the textbook devotes only a small section of the chapter on treatment of resectable cancers to the topic and limits the discussion to endoscopic resection, with no mention of ablative therapy; this is a small, but real shortcoming of the textbook. Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma is unique among publications on the topic for several reasons. First, many publications focus on specific aspects of care and narrowly defined their audience, thus providing great depth but little breadth and incomplete guidance to the clinician. This text by Giovanni de Manzoni stands in sharp relief, however, by addressing a narrow topic with expansive and comprehensive attention to every aspect of care. In addition, it is one of the only textbooks specifically devoted to the topic of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas; most textbooks either focus on esophageal cancer in general (including adenocarcinoma) or they include all squamous cell cancer, such as esophagus, lung, and skin, among others.
January 2014
Print and Digital Media Reviews
Bottom Line: Overall, Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Giovanni de Manzoni is an excellent contribution to the field. It is reasonably priced with excellent value and can be highly recommended to clinicians who are involved in the direct care of these patients and to scholars interested in esophageal cancer.
KATIE S. NASON Division of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery University of Pittsburgh Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Funding Dr. Nason’s work is supported by Award Number K07CA151613 from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and by the Payne Family Esophageal Cancer Research Fund. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health.
Probiotic Bacteria and Their Effect on Human Health and Well-Being. A. Guarino, E. M. M. Quigley, and W. A. Walker, editors. 202 pp. $231.00. Basel, Karger, 2013. ISBN: 978-3-318-02324-4. Web address for ordering: www. karger.com.
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
««««
Improvement over previously available media
«««««
Style of presentation and formatting
«««««
Quality of figures
«««
Overall
««««
Stars: «: poor; ««: adequate; «««: fair; ««««: good; «««««: excellent.
At the start of the 20th century, the Nobel Laureate Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (May 15, 1845–July 15, 1916) introduced the concept that bacteria inhabiting the intestinal tract play an important role in human health and disease. He was so convinced that gut dysbiosis could cause the “body intoxication” involved in the pathogenesis of gut dysfunction and systemic disorders that he audaciously proposed colectomy for a variety of diseases. He also introduced the concept that probiotic bacteria, found in fermented milk products, could prevent “fouling” in the colon and, if consumed
317
regularly, lead to a longer and healthier life. After Mechnikov’s seminal observations, this field of science remained largely disregarded until recently. The renewed interest in intestinal microbiota and its modulation by probiotics started roughly 2 decades ago with the application of highthroughput molecular technologies, which allowed discovery of new avenues of science. The scientific field of intestinal microbiota and probiotics is booming. Inevitably, in the internet era one may think that books may lose appeal. The hardcover, 202-page book, Probiotic Bacteria and Their Effect on Human Health and Well-Being, is a clear example that this concept may be wrong. The book summarizes in a friendly manner a collection of the key achievements in the field. The book is organized in 6 sections encompassing 21 chapters. Each chapter is preceded by an unstructured abstract and ends with a short conclusion. The text is well-written by “true experts” in the field and targets wide categories of readers including biologists, biotechnologists, and researchers in the food industry and agriculture, basic scientists as well as physicians, and health care providers. The authors have made a substantial effort to keep a balance between being comprehensive and succinct at the same time, and reached the challenging aim to simplify difficult concepts. The first chapter, dealing with definitions, taxonomy, and regulatory issues, is particularly useful as this type of information is not often readily available to the public. Indeed, there is now a clear need for both researchers and industry professionals alike to be aware of these aspects when dealing with the theme of microbiota and probiotics. The following contributions describe the intestinal microbiota composition and function and emphasize the concept of dysbiosis and its relevance in human diseases. The chapter on the effects of the intestinal microbiota on behavior and brain chemistry is of particular mention and is nicely linked to the chapters on functional gastrointestinal disorders in adults and children. Two parts deal with important general issues, namely safety and the intricate matter on whether probiotics exert dose-related effects. The effect of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of human diseases has been tackled in various chapters. Both gastrointestinal and extragastrointestinal diseases have been considered. The former includes functional gastrointestinal disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases, and neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. The latter encompasses allergies, metabolic syndrome and obesity and respiratory tract infections. Of particular mention is the effort made to include in the book the role of microbiota and probiotics in different age groups touching the two extremes of life—the newborn and the centenarians. Criticisms of this book are minor. Overall, the probiotic theme is not always the mainstream of the book, and more space is rather devoted to fundamental concepts on intestinal microbiota. This is not a downside, because the reader would enjoy the microbiota part of the book; however, the title of the book should have reflected more strictly the content of the book. The style is sometimes not uniform, with some chapters being more technical and detailed and other rather general, which is a frequent downside of multi-author collections. As the most important achievements in the field have been
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS Joel H. Rubenstein, Section Editor Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Giovanni de Manzoni, editor. 272 pp. $149.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2012. ISBN: 97888-470-2330-7. Web address for ordering: www.springer.com.
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
««««
Improvement over previously available media
«««««
Style of presentation and formatting
«««««
Quality of figures
««««
Overall
««««
Stars: «: poor; ««: adequate; «««: fair; ««««: good; «««««: excellent.
The treatment of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is a highly complex, multidisciplinary process, requiring a well-orchestrated progression of medical and surgical interventions. Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma is an excellent reference for clinicians caring for these patients as well as scholars interested in esophageal cancer. The aim of the textbook is to provide an in-depth review of the current understanding of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell cancer and to review controversial topics. Written by a surgeon, the almost singular focus on malignant processes of the foregut that has characterized Professor de Manzoni’s career is evident and, overall, the textbook is successful in achieving these aims. Well-organized, with appropriate division of the topics into clinically relevant sections and chapters, the textbook is an excellent overview text as well as a quick reference tool to address specific questions. The chapters are well-written and edited, with remarkable consistency in the writing style and comprehensiveness of the topic review between chapters, despite multiple authors. This renders the text easy to read and understand. The strengths of the text began in the planning stages, when a very thorough list of the critical topics of interest to the reader was compiled. The table of contents is informative and the ordering of chapters is intuitive; because they are thoughtfully ordered, each topic appropriately informs the review and understanding of the next set of topics. The illustrations, tables, and figures are informative and add to the
existing text, without being repetitive. The references, with few exceptions, are appropriate and recent, providing a current understanding of the topic. The subject index is adequate to guide readers to specific topics. The text begins with an overview of the epidemiology of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell cancers, and then proceeds with chapters dedicated to staging and classification, pretreatment workup, molecular biology in evaluation of tumor response, and progresses through critical decision points regarding treatment options, and immediate and long-term outcomes. The text does not neglect the topics that are most relevant to the patient, where success is defined not only by the elimination of the cancer, but also by the preservation of quality of life and normal functioning. Individual chapters review the utility of various staging and treatment modalities in great detail, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each and providing a quick but thorough resource for students or clinicians who may be less familiar with this disease. High-quality figures illustrating the findings add substantially to the value of the review. This text is not designed as a step-by-step surgical instruction manual and, for rapidly advancing topics, is already somewhat dated with regard to the topic. This is especially true for the chapter on minimally invasive esophagectomy, which asserts that this approach is controversial. Although technically challenging and requiring extensive expertise in advanced laparoscopic techniques, the oncologic safety of minimally invasive esophagectomy in the management of esophageal cancer, based on randomized clinical trials and multiple retrospective publications with significant numbers of patients from our center and others, has been established. In addition, the use of endoscopic therapies for management of early stage esophageal cancer is of considerable interest and could easily have been reviewed as a stand-alone chapter. Instead, the textbook devotes only a small section of the chapter on treatment of resectable cancers to the topic and limits the discussion to endoscopic resection, with no mention of ablative therapy; this is a small, but real shortcoming of the textbook. Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma is unique among publications on the topic for several reasons. First, many publications focus on specific aspects of care and narrowly defined their audience, thus providing great depth but little breadth and incomplete guidance to the clinician. This text by Giovanni de Manzoni stands in sharp relief, however, by addressing a narrow topic with expansive and comprehensive attention to every aspect of care. In addition, it is one of the only textbooks specifically devoted to the topic of esophageal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas; most textbooks either focus on esophageal cancer in general (including adenocarcinoma) or they include all squamous cell cancer, such as esophagus, lung, and skin, among others.
January 2014
Print and Digital Media Reviews
Bottom Line: Overall, Treatment of Esophageal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Giovanni de Manzoni is an excellent contribution to the field. It is reasonably priced with excellent value and can be highly recommended to clinicians who are involved in the direct care of these patients and to scholars interested in esophageal cancer.
KATIE S. NASON Division of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery University of Pittsburgh Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Funding Dr. Nason’s work is supported by Award Number K07CA151613 from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and by the Payne Family Esophageal Cancer Research Fund. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health.
Probiotic Bacteria and Their Effect on Human Health and Well-Being. A. Guarino, E. M. M. Quigley, and W. A. Walker, editors. 202 pp. $231.00. Basel, Karger, 2013. ISBN: 978-3-318-02324-4. Web address for ordering: www. karger.com.
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
««««
Improvement over previously available media
«««««
Style of presentation and formatting
«««««
Quality of figures
«««
Overall
««««
Stars: «: poor; ««: adequate; «««: fair; ««««: good; «««««: excellent.
At the start of the 20th century, the Nobel Laureate Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (May 15, 1845–July 15, 1916) introduced the concept that bacteria inhabiting the intestinal tract play an important role in human health and disease. He was so convinced that gut dysbiosis could cause the “body intoxication” involved in the pathogenesis of gut dysfunction and systemic disorders that he audaciously proposed colectomy for a variety of diseases. He also introduced the concept that probiotic bacteria, found in fermented milk products, could prevent “fouling” in the colon and, if consumed
317
regularly, lead to a longer and healthier life. After Mechnikov’s seminal observations, this field of science remained largely disregarded until recently. The renewed interest in intestinal microbiota and its modulation by probiotics started roughly 2 decades ago with the application of highthroughput molecular technologies, which allowed discovery of new avenues of science. The scientific field of intestinal microbiota and probiotics is booming. Inevitably, in the internet era one may think that books may lose appeal. The hardcover, 202-page book, Probiotic Bacteria and Their Effect on Human Health and Well-Being, is a clear example that this concept may be wrong. The book summarizes in a friendly manner a collection of the key achievements in the field. The book is organized in 6 sections encompassing 21 chapters. Each chapter is preceded by an unstructured abstract and ends with a short conclusion. The text is well-written by “true experts” in the field and targets wide categories of readers including biologists, biotechnologists, and researchers in the food industry and agriculture, basic scientists as well as physicians, and health care providers. The authors have made a substantial effort to keep a balance between being comprehensive and succinct at the same time, and reached the challenging aim to simplify difficult concepts. The first chapter, dealing with definitions, taxonomy, and regulatory issues, is particularly useful as this type of information is not often readily available to the public. Indeed, there is now a clear need for both researchers and industry professionals alike to be aware of these aspects when dealing with the theme of microbiota and probiotics. The following contributions describe the intestinal microbiota composition and function and emphasize the concept of dysbiosis and its relevance in human diseases. The chapter on the effects of the intestinal microbiota on behavior and brain chemistry is of particular mention and is nicely linked to the chapters on functional gastrointestinal disorders in adults and children. Two parts deal with important general issues, namely safety and the intricate matter on whether probiotics exert dose-related effects. The effect of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of human diseases has been tackled in various chapters. Both gastrointestinal and extragastrointestinal diseases have been considered. The former includes functional gastrointestinal disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases, and neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. The latter encompasses allergies, metabolic syndrome and obesity and respiratory tract infections. Of particular mention is the effort made to include in the book the role of microbiota and probiotics in different age groups touching the two extremes of life—the newborn and the centenarians. Criticisms of this book are minor. Overall, the probiotic theme is not always the mainstream of the book, and more space is rather devoted to fundamental concepts on intestinal microbiota. This is not a downside, because the reader would enjoy the microbiota part of the book; however, the title of the book should have reflected more strictly the content of the book. The style is sometimes not uniform, with some chapters being more technical and detailed and other rather general, which is a frequent downside of multi-author collections. As the most important achievements in the field have been
