Article Outline

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The aim of this multiauthored book, Strategies of Cancer Prevention in Gastroenterology, is to give the opinions of the “world's best experts” on the challenges and developments in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer prevention. It is the proceedings of a workshop which fairly well meets its aim. If hepatology is considered part of GI, then a separate chapter on PSC and hepatocellular cancer rather than coverage under inflammatory bowel disease would be appropriate. Also Hepatitis B and C as precursors of hepatocellular cancer would be covered.

The book is brief, concisely covering topics in 14 chapters. Each chapter is written by a recognized expert. The book is hardback and the paper quality is good. Chapter 14 is a model for figures and tables that highlight the text and provide excellent conceptual information visually. Many other chapters have adequate figures and tables. However, endoscopic images are only in 1 chapter and the lack of color renders the images useless. Body imaging is neglected as a modality, except in the context of colorectal cancer screening.

This book does not provide new information, but to my knowledge is one of the few brief presentations encompassing the field of cancer prevention. It suffers the typical problem of a book—the 15-month delay from the meeting to the publication makes some of the information already outdated. The best example is the recent (3/08) New England Journal of Medicine publication highlighting the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation for dysplastic Barrett's esophagus—a paradigm changer. Surveillance endoscopy is given a clear rationale by identifying treatable (endoscopically) early cancer and high-grade dysplasia. Additionally, the lack of effectiveness of colonoscopy in prevention of right colon cancer undermines the screening guidelines for colorectal cancer.

The information in Chapters 1 and 2 overlap, with the second chapter being more thorough and focused on prevention. The critical role of public awareness is nicely highlighted in a chapter as is the role of inflammation in cancer development. Cancer in inflammatory bowel disease has overlapping chapters, but in this case the second chapter represents a personalized more pragmatic view versus the more guidelines-based recommendations.

Bottom Line: This book efficiently reaches its intended audience of providers interested in cancer prevention. It is highly recommended as a useful summary of cancer prevention—necessary for the clinician immersed in secondary prevention as well as the researcher strategizing in the field of chemoprevention. Trainees and health care providers at any career stage will find this a useful summary of cancer prevention strategies.