Contemporary Issues in Women’s Cancers is a comprehensive text edited by the leader of the Society of Gynaecologic Nurse Oncologists (SGNO), with each chapter authored by a member of SGNO. The SGNO is an international organisation of nurses and other health professionals, with over 600 members, whose aim is to advance patient care, education and research in the specialised fields of gynaecological oncology and women’s health care. Although SGNO is an international society, all authors are American, which is reflected in the text, but does not detract from the content.
This text has a different focus to the society’s previous text, entitled Women and Cancer: a Gynaecologic Oncology Nursing Perspective, with the aim of the new book being to enhance clinical practice, and address new concerns by placing a greater emphasis on the role that patients play in clinical practice.
This book explores contemporary issues, drawing on the expertise and clinical experience of the authors, to assist readers in providing optimal care to their patients amidst the changing ways in which women’s cancers are diagnosed and treated.
The book contains 17 chapters, commencing with an overview and epidemiology chapter to set the scene, before continuing on to cover specific diseases in greater detail. Breast cancer, endometrial cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer, non-epithelial ovarian malignancies, pre-invasive cervical cancer, invasive cervical cancer, vulval and vaginal cancers and gynaecologic sarcomas are all covered in suitable detail. Nursing issues/implications are addressed in each chapter and highlight the invaluable role that nurses play in all aspects of the patient’s journey.
There is a chapter exploring cancer genetics and then several chapters dedicated to issues pertinent to women with gynaecological cancer. Sexuality, infertility issues, menopause and the sequelae of cancer and its treatment are all covered and the author of each chapter focuses on the major implications for the patient and interventions aimed at improving the quality of life of the woman.
The final chapters are centred around psychosocial aspects of care, addressing issues such as the impact of gynaecological cancer on the family and living with recurrent cancer.
This hard-copy text is logically sequenced and provides relevant tables, flow-charts and diagrams to assist readers in their comprehension.
Overall, I found this to be a useful, well-referenced text, suitable for nurses interested in women’s cancers, who have a basic understanding of current issues and who would like to update and complement their existing knowledge.
Shannon Philp, Sydney Gynaecologic Oncology Group, Sydney Cancer Centre, Sydney, New South Wales.