The 4th edition of Tumors in Domestic Animals contains considerable changes from its predecessors: a new edi tor, many new authors, a new publisher, a larger size, more pages, and a few new style features. The list of con tributing authors has expanded to 24, from 13 who participated in the 3rd edition, published in 1990. Many of the new, and most of the previous, contributors will be recognized by most pathologists for their work and expertise in their field. Similar to earlier versions of the book, all but 1 chapter of the 4th edition focuses on tumors of a body system, tissue, or organ. The exception is the 1st chapter titled “An overview of cancer pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management.” While it is nec essarily brief, it is an excellent and straightforward introduction to oncology and to the chapters that follow.
In his preface, Dr. Meuten suggests that the first 3 edi tions of Tumors in Domestic Animals were “landmark textbooks in veterinary pathology;” I believe that the 4th edition maintains this tradition. While there are other very valuable sources of information on veterinary oncology, they either are books that tend to limit their focus to tumor classification (for example, the World Health Organization's series International Histological Classification of Tumors of Domestic Animals), specific body systems or species (Skin Tumors of the Dog & Cat, by Goldschmidt and Shofer), prognosis and treatment (Small Animal Clinical Oncology, edited by Withrow and MacEwan) or are sections of textbooks describing the range of pathology found in a specific body system (Veterinary Neuropathology, by Summers, Cummings, and de Lahunta; and Reproductive Pathology of Domestic Mammals, by McEntee).
While many changes are represented in the 4th edition, the format has generally remained the same. The book is, fundamentally, a catalogue of tumors known to occur in domestic animals, organized by body system. Each section within each chapter (except the 1st) is organized into a summary of the current knowledge concerning classification schemes and diagnostic approaches; incidence and prevalence (including age, breed, and sex); sites of tumor development and clinical characteris- tics; gross (macroscopic) and, where appropriate, radi ographic appearance; microscopic appearance (includ- ing histologic, cytologic, or ultrastructural descriptions); behavior (growth and metastasis); and, in many instances, comments concerning etiology or epidemiologic associations, special diagnostic procedures, and, to a much more limited degree, treatment. Importantly, these summaries are almost always well supported by references.
The 800 pages of heavy, glossy paper in this book are filled with many high quality and extremely relevant pictures of gross lesions, radiographs, histologic sec tions, cytologic preparations, blood smears, and electron micrographs. These figures are complemented by simple, yet informative illustrations, charts, graphs, and tables. As I read through this book, I was impressed by the fact that an equal amount of page space is allocated to figures and text.
Dr. Meuten's stated goal for the 4th edition was to con dense the formidable and expanding body of information concerning the risks, pathogenesis, diagnosis, classifi cation, and management of tumors in domestic animals into a useful resource for veterinarians, residents, oncol ogists, and diagnostic pathologists. I believe he has succeeded in this goal and I have no doubt that the 4th edition of Tumors in Domestic Animals will find its way into the library of every diagnostic veterinary laboratory and veterinary school in North America. I suspect it would also be a useful complement to the libraries of veterinary oncologists. However, I doubt that the average veterinarian in practice or veterinary student would make frequent reference to this book, and at the current price of almost $300.00 (in the University of Saskatchewan book store), there are probably better values for the nonspecialist. Dr. Meuten also refers to a companion CD-ROM that contains color images to sup plement the black-and-white pictures contained in the book. Regrettably, instructions on how to obtain the CD are not provided, and a representative at the Iowa State Press indicated that no CD was currently available.
In summary, the latest revision of Tumors in Domestic Animals was long overdue and much anticipated. It is well written and generously illustrated by recognized authorities in the field, and the editor must be congrat ulated for keeping the content and format in each chapter as consistent as possible. Tumors in Domestic Animals remains a unique reference in the veterinary literature and will be consulted often by diagnostic veterinary pathologists and others interested in veterinary oncology.