[PDF] Handbook of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 2nd Edition (2012) by Caroline A Hastings & Joseph C Torkildson

Description

This new edition of Handbook of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology: Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland features practical guidance on how to handle common inpatient and outpatient challenges seen in pediatric hematology and oncology. Designed as a rapid reference to the latest diagnostic and therapeutic protocols, the text is short and didactic and supplemented with practical algorithms and case studies throughout. Completely revised and updated, there are brand-new chapters on subjects including bone marrow transplantation, pain management and palliative care. Comprehensive, yet concise, the handbook presents essential guidelines on the diagnosis and management of the most common pediatric blood disorders and malignancies, in addition to chemotherapeutic drug information and transfusion protocols.

Reviews

This was a very good basic peds heme/onc book. I wanted a quick reference book to use while on my pediatric heme/onc rotation and this fits the bill. The chapters break down major topics (e.g. hemolytic anemia, hemophilia, thrombocytopenia, acute leukemias, germ cell tumors, etc.) but the book isn’t all-encompassing. It covers topics with enough detail that I felt I could successfully answer questions from my attending while on rounds and confidently talk to and answer questions from patient’s parents. But it’s not so detailed that I felt like I needed to be a heme/onc fellow or attending in order to understand the material.

Pros:
-Lots of algorithms: Covers approaches to working up different heme/onc conditions (one of the features that made me decide to get this book instead of other books)
-Lots of tables: Easy-to-find visual representations of symptoms, lab findings, differentials, treatments, etc.
-Case Studies: At the end of some chapters there are cases to review and reinforce what the chapter covered
-Formulary Chapter: Lists chemo agents, dosing, mechanism of action, pregnancy category, indications, side effects
-Procedure/Therapy Chapters: Not something you might think of right away but definitely important topics in the management of heme/onc patients (e.g. transfusion medicine, stem cell transplantation, central venous catheters, acute pain management, palliative care, guide to procedures)
-Relatively compact size: At about 9 x 6 x 0.75 inches, it’s a little too big to fit in my lab coat pocket. But it’s lightweight and small enough that I could carry it around all day with no problems

Cons:
-No histopathology images: Seems like that would’ve been an obvious thing to include in a heme/onc book

All in all, this is book has been very helpful to me and I would recommend it to anyone in need of a basic pediatric heme/onc reference.