Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology

Book Preface

The landscape of cancer care is changing rapidly and dramatically, with truly excitingdevelopments in our understanding of cancer biology and the resulting explosion in translational research at the fore. In their preface to the third edition of Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology, published in 2000, our predecessors, the founding editors of the PPGO textbook, William J. Hoskins, MD, Carlos A. Perez, MD, and Robert C. Young, MD, anticipated the further growth of multidisciplinary therapy for the treatment of gynecologic cancers, and predicted that “over the next decade it will involve the active partnership of the laboratory scientist.” Now, 13 years later, as we publish the sixth edition of PPGO, multidisciplinary approaches are at the heart of cancer care, multimodal strategies offer improved clinical outcomes in a wide variety of settings and new possibilities in
patient quality of life, and targeted therapies now enable the development of truly innovative approaches to individualized treatment.

For the current, sixth edition of PPGO, we have sought to create a text reflective of the changes in the field of gynecologic oncology, and, in so doing, to continue to build on the important contribution to the medical literature of the textbook’s founding editors. To do this most effectively, we have brought on as editor Dr. Andrew Berchuck, Chief of Gynecologic Oncology and Director of Gynecologic Cancer Research at the Duke University Cancer Institute, a practicing oncologist and distinguished researcher who has made significant contributions to the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of ovarian and endometrial cancer. We are pleased to be able to incorporate his expertise and thoughtful editorial contributions in the current edition.

This textbook has been designed for specialists who care for women afflicted with gynecologic cancer, including surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and nurses. It will also serve as a valuable resource for residents and fellows in training for a career in cancer care. As in past editions, we are certain that this new edition contains the most up-to-date information available about the treatment of gynecologic cancers. Returning readers will see changes withi —including an attractive and effective new four-color layout—as well as much that is familiar. The textbook’s first section is now “Etiology, Prevention, and Molecular Biology” and includes new chapters on “Molecular Pathogenesis of Gynecologic Cancers” and “Hereditary Gynecologic Cancers”; Section II, now “Diagnostic and Therapeutic Modalities,” features new chapters on “Minimally Invasive Surgery,” “Diagnostic Imaging,” and “Comparative Effectiveness Research in Gynecologic Oncology.” In Section III, “Disease Sites,” we remain committed to the multidisciplinary theme of the textbook, with chapters authored by teams consisting of a surgeon, a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and a pathologist. The textbook’s final section, “Special Management Topics,” focuses on all of the auxiliary concerns so important in the care of all cancer patients, tailored for the GYN oncology setting. As in previous editions, we have rotated approximately 30% of the authors, and all chapters have been either completely rewritten or extensively updated, including the chapters on the three major diseases—ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer.

With this new edition we are very pleased to be able to offer readers a dynamic online full-color companion to the printed textbook. Viewable through a browser or as a download to your tablet or smartphone, this unique digital version offers the textbook content in a searchable, interactive format with ongoing updates that reflect new developments in the field. Additionally, the entire text plus up to date content has been incorporated into LWWOncology. com, a comprehensive database of the most authoritative content in oncology today, available to individuals and institutions. Readers can now use the digital version of the book in the context of clinic and conferences, and as an authoritative source of knowledge available in real time.

Finally, we wish to thank the readers for their ongoing support, and we look forward to their feedback on the current edition. We will continue to strive to improve the content and quality of this comprehensive textbook, and we hope that Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology, Sixth Edition will contribute to the knowledge and wisdom of all those entrusted with the care of women afflicted with gynecologic cancer.

Richard R. Barakat, MD
Andrew Berchuck, MD
Maurie Markman, MD
Marcus E. Randall, MD