Urological Pathology

Abstract

2nd ed, edited by William M. Murphy, 605 pp, with 897 illus, $195, Philadelphia, Pa, WB Saunders Co, 1997When the first edition of Murphy's Urological Pathology appeared in 1989, it was met with great acclaim as a well edited, highly readable, practical review of genitourinary pathology. Several reviewers emphasized that Murphy held true to his goal of creating a book that, above all, kept the reader's needs squarely in mind. The new second edition of Urological Pathology maintains that reader-oriented focus and retains its value as a comprehensive reference for any pathologist with either sign-out responsibility or special interest in urologic pathology.The second edition has not been widely revamped. The changes are selective-a relatively small number of new illustrations, new and revised text to reflect new information, and lots of new references. The only significant authorship change is Jonathan Epstein's addition as ocontributor (joining Murphy) in the chapter on prostate diseases.The changes that do appear in this edition appropriately reflect the important gains in knowledge and understanding in uropathology over the past decade. The excellent chapter on cystic disease and dysplasia of the kidneys by Bernstein and Gardner presents an updated nomenclature for polycystic kidneys and a revised discussion on renal dysplasia, reflecting new insights into these entities. Damjanov's chapter on tumors of the testis and epididymis presents a revised discussion on nonseminomatous germ cell tumors and updates theories on histogenesis. Epstein's influence in the chapter on diseases of the prostate and seminal vesicles is manifested by an up-to-date view of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, more elaborate description and llustrations of prostate cancer grading, and an extensive discussion on differential diagnosis and prognosis in prostate cancer. Farrow's updated chapter on diseases of the kidney expands the presentation of renal cell carcinoma with the modified classification that is becoming widely accepted, taking into consideration, albeit too briefly, the important recent literature on cytogenetics, molecular biology, and immunohistochemistry.Rounding out this volume are Murphy's tour de force on diseases of the urinary system and the excellent chapters on nonneoplastic testicular disease by Gondos andWong, adrenal glands by DeLellis and Feran-Doza, and development and structure of the urogenital system by Kissane.The reproduction of color illustrations is excellent, but their location on plates makes for some inconvenience while reading the text. It is also unclear why every color reproduction is duplicated inferiorly in black and white within the text-a puzzling redundancy and waste of space. But these are relatively minor criticisms.The first edition of Murphy's Urological Pathology helped fill a gap in the bookshelf of many pathologists. It now faces some recent, outstanding competition, most prominently Bostwick's Urologic Surgical Pathology, but Murphy's second edition certainly holds its own. It remains an outstanding reference text, with numerous new and up-to-date references in each chapter, thorough coverage of new and emerging conditions, and enhanced treatment of established entities. It would be a worthwhile investment for any surgical pathologist looking for a practical, readable, complete uropathology reference text.