Reviewer: Laura A Johnson, MSN, APN, AGCNS-BC, BMTCN (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This detailed-yet-concise pocket guide for nurses has an outline format with small sections containing easy-to-read information that makes it a handy reference. Helpful features include lists of references, further readings, and reflection points at the end of each major concept section. This is the second edition of the book, first published in 2007.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide nurses detailed, evidence-based, patient-focused, and up-to-date information in a compact, handbook format. Due to the constant, rapid evolution of cancer care, an overarching aim of the book is to provide the most current evidence. The book only partially meets that objective. While it does include some current information, some of the references are outdated.
Audience: The authors, oncology nurses themselves, have directed the book at oncology nurses and other healthcare professionals. Each author has additional publications and two of the authors frequently lecture at the university level.
Features: The book seeks to provide a holistic overview of oncology nursing, covering cancer epidemiology, disease states, diagnosis methods, treatment modalities, symptom management, and oncologic emergencies. Additionally, it addresses psychosocial, palliative, and survivorship aspects of cancer care. The authors make good use of tables, bullet points, and small reading sections with clear headings. In particular, the disease-specific portion is clearly laid out in pertinent sections such as risk factors, presentation of disease, prognosis, treatment options, nursing implications, and more. Some of the information on epidemiology and policy is specific to the United Kingdom and therefore would not be relevant across the world.
Assessment: The book provides a good, quality overview of the major oncology-specific topics relevant to nursing. The updated edition was necessary since it had been 12 years since initial publication. However, I would be hesitant to suggest the book as a reference for my nurses since it outlines some nursing practices and cancer statistics that are not applicable in the United States. I would compare this book to the Oncology Nursing Society's (ONS) Core Curriculum for Oncology Nursing, 6th edition, Brant et al. (Elsevier, 2019).
