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The editors of The Breast are oriented toward surgery, but the approach is broad. The result is an impressive work in two volumes, written by almost 150 authors. The first volume contains chapters on history, anatomy and physiology, pathology, genetics, molecular biology, diagnostic issues, screening, and biostatistical principles, whereas the second volume covers treatment.
It is relevant here to comment on the concept of the textbook, which presents the state of the art and is written by specific experts in each field, and to comment on the special problems that arise from new editions of earlier books. The larger the group of authors, the more complicated the contributions. This creates a substantial delay in publication, with a serious loss of information on important recent developments. The complicated work of editing and streamlining such a broad work requires considerable time, which further delays the publication. This delay shows in the lists of references, which cite no articles published after 1996, with only few from that year. Most references are the same as those published in the previous edition -- a common problem in publishing new editions.
Bland and Copeland introduce many new chapters by discussing novel ideas and changed concepts: for example, the chapters on sentinel-node biopsy, ductal carcinoma in situ, and many other issues in the clinical and biologic aspects of breast cancer. In these new chapters, however, we miss the most recent information, which is especially a problem when new fields are reviewed.