In the early days of medical oncology, practitioners had a limited resource of reference materials on cancer. Ackerman and DelRegato's textbook, Haagenson's classic monograph on breast cancer, the Atlas of Tumor Pathology by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and the journal Cancer were the standbys. Authors and publishers have recognized the growth and maturity of the discipline of medical oncology, and have produced almost a flood of journals and textbooks on cancer. Medical Oncology: Basic Principles and Clinical Management of Cancer, however, is perhaps the first comprehensive textbook written principally for medical oncologists. The editors, medical oncologists themselves, had worked together on subspecialty certification for the American Board of Internal Medicine in medical oncology and in education on neoplastic disorders for internists through the self-assessment program of the American College of Physicians.
Eighty-six authors review both fundamental and practical aspects of medical oncology in three sections. The first section,