Reference Reviews

Doug's Student Reference Room

Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Cancer. Edited by Tom Metcalf and Gena Metcalf. 136 p. Detroit, MI: Thomson Gale, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7377-3870-4. $34.95.

Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Cancer Medical advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer are evolving so rapidly that updating collections in this area ought to occur as frequently as possible. This volume’s overview section offers current theories on causes of cancer, notes trends in improved care for young cancer patients, reviews recent advancements in breast cancer research, discusses the promise that new drugs and DNA therapy hold for treatment, and provides a short introduction to prostate cancer, the most common cancer in males. The second section pairs essays with competing views on controversial issues related to cancer, including the role secondhand smoke plays, the efficacy of the cervical cancer vaccine and of alternative treatments, and the use of marijuana to control chemotherapy side effects. The final section includes a theatre director’s vivid account of radiation treatment for throat cancer, a collection of cancer myths and truths shared by sixteen cancer survivors, and the heart-wrenching but inspirational story of a swimmer who chose to continue competing in the face of rapidly debilitating lung cancer. This final section brings the topic of cancer back down to the personal way it is experienced in our lives, placing the earlier sections’ medical focus into their proper context. This volume is recommended for middle school, high school and public libraries.

—Doug Achterman