Quinones-Hinjosa A, Raza SM. Controversies in Neuro-Oncology: Best Evidence Medicine for Brain Tumor Surgery. Thieme; 2013; 520 pgs.; 250 illustrations; $149.99
Whether at a national meeting, a CME course, or as printed material, space and time devoted to controversies in medicine are often the most enlightening from an educational standpoint. Enter this newly published (2014) hardcover, 520-page textbook Controversies in Neuro-Oncology: Best Evidence Medicine for Brain Tumor Surgery. It is edited by Drs. Quinones-Hinojosa and Raza from John Hopkins, with contributions from 112 authors, including many of the most recognizable names in neurosurgery and neuro-oncology.
As with many of these evidence-based books, the first chapter (5 pages) introduces the reader to the issues involved in this type of analysis, including study design, levels of evidence, and grades of recommendation.
There are 15 sections of the book, each dealing separately with different types of tumors and/or tumors presenting in various anatomic locations (eg, pituitary, skull base, pineal region). For the neuroradiologist the book is particularly valuable because we are able to read of the options for treatment (often with high-quality images and drawings showing the surgical approaches), and we can also read of the levels of evidence for the different surgical or nonsurgical treatments.
While this is not a book to be read cover to cover, it is one that would be referred to often when the neuroradiologist is dealing with a particular tumor and wishes to understand how the treatment strategies might vary. An additional advantage is that when required to present cases at a neurosurgery grand rounds, a combined discipline conference, or an operative planning conference, a fuller knowledge of what might be considered is readily accessible to the neuroradiologist. Although the subtitle of this book would lead one believe that its contents deal with brain surgery alone, that is far from the case; within the chapters are segments dealing with adjunctive or primary chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
A suggestion for future editions of this book would be to add a second part to the book, which would deal with controversies related to spine tumor surgery and peripheral nerve tumor surgery.
