Childhood Cancer: A Handbook from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

This book was hard to get and I actually purchased a used product; however, the chase and the wait was worth waiting for. The book provides the reader with an extensive overview over pediatric cancer, its etiology, treatment, and everything that's important to know. Working with pediatric oncology patient in a hospital setting, this book answered many questions. The chapters were written by different clincal disciplines, addressing the concerns from their point of view. At no point does the book go overboard (like so many other books about pediatric oncology,) where the author forgets the audience and makes little sense to the (non-medical) readers, mostly parents, explaining medical lingo thoroughly.

This handbook explained how cancer develops and answered many of my families questions on the side-effects of chemo and radiation therapy. We even bought extras to share with our extended family.

Drs. Steen and Mirro and the many other contributers from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have made a significant contribution to the clinical care of children with cancer in their editing of this new book. The chapters cover many topics to give parents an overview of the current scientific understanding of childhood cancers, along with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment procedures. This will be an invaluable aid to the unfortunate parents who have to face along with their children an often overwhelming battle for their precious little lives. The authors highlight the magnificent progress that has been made in the past 40 years as many childhood cancers can now be successfully treated almost 80% of the time. It covers spiritual, psychological and social aspects of treatment and even the topic of alternative therapies. It includes testimonials of success and a chapter dealing with the hardest topic--letting a child die when there is no longer any reasonable hope for curative treatment. It informs parents about the testing procedures their children will have and talks about the research-related issues that they will likely encounter. It provides useful address and links for support groups and additional information. I would highly recommend this book for parents and the professionals who deal with those parents who have children with cancer.