Breast Surgery: A Companion to Specialist Surgical Practice

Abstract

This is an excellent book. The contributors are widely recognised experts with particular expertise in their chapter subjects. What I particularly like about this book is the very strong surgical flavour. Among the wealth of information in breast disease, this book selects and concentrates on topics that are of particular relevance to the modern breast surgeon. In this way I feel that this edition is improved on previous editions, in which there was a lot of information about breast disease of general interest but not of specific surgical relevance. Initial chapters cover diagnosis and pathology of breast disease, breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy. There is a particularly good section on factors that predict for recurrence following breast-conserving surgery and factors that influence cosmetic outcome. Further chapters describe oncoplastic procedures, axillary management and breast reconstruction. There is then further detail on DCIS, rarer diseases and benign breast disease, with additional chapters on adjuvant therapy, locally advanced disease and metastatic disease. A particular favourite of mine is the chapter at the end on litigation in breast disease, with memorable case vignettes. The chapter on benign breast disease is also very good and includes a section on complications of cosmetic breast surgery, to which many surgeons not performing such surgery will inevitably be exposed. All chapters are well written, balanced and up to date. In short I would recommend this book to any breast surgical trainee or anyone wanting a refresher on the current evidence base to modern surgical breast cancer treatment.