"The authors present and evaluate data, provide a context drawn from both the clinical and research laboratory, and integrate knowledge in a practical and reliable manner."--Annals, March 2001 "This volume, in fact the entire series, is an essential addition to the library of all palliative care clinicians. In this volume cogent analyses of the rapidly expanding body of literature are provided, with practical translation for clinical practice. Furthermore, the frequency of publication ensures the immediacy of the information. As with any publication, a few limitations exist. First, additional figures would clarify more complex concepts. Second, the emphasis in this volume remains primarily on cancer, but expanding the disease focus to other incurable illnesses is critical. Finally, future volumes might benefit from the inclusion of a table of contents of previous volumes, as well as a list of future topics planned for inclusion. Notwithstanding these suggestions, this book is indispensable for any palliative care physician." --Doody's "The editors succeeded in including leaders in the fields, and the book offers diverse perspectives and beliefs about palliative care. There are some important strengths, precisely for the reasons we expected: the editors' understanding of where the field has been, its current struggles, and where we will go. This book provides insight to how we will get there.--Respiratory Care, May 2002