Practical Urologic Cytopathology
Bardales RH. ($139.00.) Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0 19 513495 8.
This book extensively covers the diagnostic and prognostic features of primary and secondary tumours of the urinary tract from the cytological point of view. The text combines recent and classic definitions, particularly in the classification of urothelial neoplasms. New advances in molecular biology, and the use of biomarkers and special techniques for the detection of urothelial cancer are detailed. Other featured topics include fine needle aspiration cytology of urinary tract neoplasms.
The book has three elements that will be very much appreciated by the readers. The first is the 300 colour photomicrographs that illustrate in detail each chapter. All the images are of very good quality. They enable even inexperienced people to obtain the proper information about the cytological features of the lesions being described. The second is the tables that accurately summarise the details of each chapter. The third is the “boxes” in which the pieces of information included in the corresponding chapters are detailed in a comprehensive manner.
My personal evaluation is such that this is an excellent book for cytopathologists and histopathologists. In fact, the information contained in the book is undoubtedly more abundant and more accurate than that included in standard cytopathology textbooks. In addition, this book will be appreciated by urologists and oncologists. Both will find all they need to know about urological cytopathology from a very practical point of view. I suggest that this book should also be read by pathology residents so that they can obtain the necessary background on the cytological features of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions of the bladder.
