DIAGNOSTIC APPROACH TO CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

The Author began his postgraduate work as an internist for 5 years; then he worked as a pathologist for 3 years, and from 1960 to 1974 he was internist for the department of “Radiotherapy of Tumours”. His first book in 1966 dealt with the “Medical Treatment of Neoplasias” and significantly contributed to the development of medical oncology in Italy. He has directed the medical oncology department founded in Padua in 1975.

The world literature is now rich in articles and books on clinical oncology. Many publications deal with treatment, or are dedicated to single diagnostic techniques such as radiology or other imaging techniques, laboratory findings, hormonal changes, tumour markers and physical signs. The present volume, perhaps unique, is dedicated to the multiple aspects of diagnosis, trying to look from the clinician's point of view to all their facets together, and tries to unify all the pertinent data.

The personal and family history, the physical or laboratory findings, the visualizing techniques and the tumour markers, are analyzed in different chapters. But relevant aspects of general medicine as water and salt metabolism and haematological investigations, are accompanied by special chapters on multidisciplinary diagnostic sessions, or diagnostic communication: to the patients and between doctors.

The text endeavours to define how tumours present themselves, which diagnostic procedures must be repeated during treatment and during follow-up, which side-effects from treatment should be monitored, while treatment policies are usually not discussed. Special attention has also been dedicated to various diagnostic errors and omissions, compromising the outcome for the patient and liability for the doctor.

A large experience collected in nearly forty years of professional and research clinical oncology is presented here to those who practice the specialty, to the colleagues who refer patients to the oncologists, and especially to clincians in training as medical oncologists.

The major reference material is represented by the relevant data on about two hundred personal cases which exemplify the diagnostic procedures suggested or criticized in the text.