British Journal of Radiology 75 (2002),930 © 2002 The British Institute of Radiology
Imaging of Soft Tissue Tumours (2nd edn). Edited by A M De Schepper, P M Parizel, L De Beuckeleer and F Vanhoenacker, pp. xvi+469, 2001 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany), £147.00 ISBN 3-540-41405-3
R Kerslake
This is an enjoyable and useful book on soft tissue tumour imaging. It is comprehensive in coverage, up-to-date (published in 2001), well referenced and well illustrated. There is a reasonable, though relatively brief, index. The layout is fairly conventional; the customary chapters dealing with various imaging modalities (of somewhat limited use for most radiologists) followed by sections on staging, characterization and grading. The remainder, comprising the largest part of the book, addresses specific tumour types and particular issues concerning paediatric patients, pseudotumoural lesions, lesions of uncertain origin, biopsy and follow-up.
MRI plays a dominant role in soft tissue tumour imaging and there are numerous high quality examples throughout this book. However, the importance of proper clinical assessment, plain radiographs and, ultimately, biopsy are rightly stressed. The chapter on pseudotumoural lesions is particularly helpful in reminding one of the wide range of non-neoplastic conditions that may masquerade as soft tissue tumours; there are plenty of catches for the unwary.
Production standards are high and despite, or perhaps because, the majority of authors are drawn from continental Europe, linguistic errors are few and far between. I recommend this book for all those imaging departments involved with soft tissue tumours.
