Tumors of the Soft Tissue (Atlas of Tumor Pathology, 3rd series, fascicle 30)

	reviewed in: Human Pathology January 2002, Volume 33, Number 1

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It has been more than 3 decades since the publication of Tumors of the Soft Tissues by Drs Stout and Lattess in the second edition of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Fascicles. Since then, many soft tissue tumors have been further classified and new concepts and entities have evolved because of more vigorous morphologic subclassification, the availability of immunohistochemical study, and more significantly, the molecular genetic findings in soft tissue tumors. Immunohistochemical and molecular genetic analyses have been playing an important role in soft tissue tumor diagnosis, and have significantly improved our diagnostic capability and consistency that were otherwise traditionally based on morphologic analysis.

The new Fascicle of Tumors of the Soft Tissue surely bridges the gap that is more than 30 years apart. Overall, the chapters are well written in a clear but comprehensive fashion with special attention to meaningful recent developments and debates in the various issues, with helpful bibliographies at the end of each chapter. Practical issues dealing with tumor grading, definitions, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis, clinical behavior, and patient management are all addressed concisely for each entity. In addition, the current fascicle contains an excellent collection of high-quality photomicrographs that are all color and new for the edition. In comparison with the previous edition, however, illustrations of gross specimen and radiologic imaging are relatively scarce.

The most unique feature of the book is the introduction of the prognosis/treatment focused managerial classification in categorizing soft tissue tumors. The different concept and emphasis of the managerial classification is clearly reviewed together with the histogenesis-based scientific classification and the currently more popular “chimeric” World Health Organization (WHO) classification in the introduction chapter. Differences among these classifications are also well addressed in individual chapters on specific tumors in which the differences become evident to minimize potential perplexity to readers unfamiliar with the managerial classification.

As all other AFIP Fascicles in the series, the new soft tissue Fascicle is a great value. It provides up-to-date references on diagnostic and management issues involving soft tissue tumors. It is practical and user-friendly to surgical pathologists who would like to gain diagnostic guidelines for soft tissue tumors in a manual-size benchbook that is concise and yet complete with excellent photomicrographs and useful information regarding patient management.