BOOK REVIEW Karen T. Pitman, MD, Section Editor

THE CANCER EXPERIENCE—THE DOCTOR, THE PATIENT, THE JOURNEY

By Roy B. Sessions, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.,Lanham, Maryland, 2012, 205 pp, $56.98

The author, Roy Sessions, MD, is a nationally respected head

and neck surgical oncologist who describes himself as writing

this book “in the autumn of my life.” The reader may be

tempted to be wary, believing this to be yet another book writ-

ten by someone overwhelmed with nostalgia about the past. But

it rapidly becomes apparent that this short book of only 184

pages is, indeed, not a quick read that can be finished in a short

period of time. Rather, I found myself contemplating and

reflecting repeatedly while reading this treatise. It is a thought-

provoking work that demands that the reader periodically make

self-conclusions about their reaction to some of the author’s

comments.

The book represents a compilation of what has been learned

over many years about the social dynamics of being a physician

caring for patients with cancer. What is contained is more a

function of the author’s wisdom gained from interacting with

this group of patients over an extended period of time. It is

based more on this experientially gained wisdom rather than

knowledge. It is not something derived from an aging physician

longing for the departed past of how medicine was formerly

practiced, but rather, it is a book to demonstrate those intangible

qualities that differentiate an effective cancer physician from a

mechanistic technophile who provides self-protection from the

emotional complexities innate to all patients with cancer by just

dealing with the physiologic consequences of the disease and

not the person afflicted with the disease.

The important role for this book is for the reader to recognize

that it helps to define the needs of patients with cancer and how

these needs can be met by an effective oncologist who recog-

nizes and respects the importance of that special emotional sup-

port provided by a physician–patient relationship that is based

on compassion, honesty, and adherence to high moral and ethi-

cal standards. This book is, indeed, valuable for oncologists and

nononcologists, students in the healthcare professions, and the

lay public because it defines the essential ingredients that will

need to be preserved and even enhanced as healthcare organiza-

tions embark on developing and evaluating new care models

that are cost-effective, accessible, and high-quality experiences

for patients.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to practitioners, stu-

dents, and the lay public. While it is a short book, it certainly

cannot be read and appreciated in a short period of time.

Although all chapters are well written, it is clear from chapter

10 (titled “Death and Dying: Natural and Otherwise”) that the

author has a keen interest in the subject of death and dying. If I

have any criticism, and it is a small one, my sense is that the

length and depth of this chapter is out of proportion to the

others and is probably reflective of the author’s level of interest

in this topic rather than what might be more consistent with the

rest of the book.

In the interest of full disclosure, those reading this review

should understand that I am a long-time friend of the author

who became acquainted through our mutual interests in head

and neck oncology. We have discussed many of the topics in

this book while fishing for trout on numerous Western streams

and rivers over the years. I have not ever discussed this book

with the author and certainly not this review. Over the years, I

have felt that such a book would be something that I might

write. That will no longer be necessary, as Dr. Sessions has

made a real contribution with this book that brings value to

those in the healthcare professions or lay readers. I wholeheart-

edly recommend The Cancer Experience, especially for those

healthcare professionals contemplating pursuing a career that

involves interacting with patients with cancer.

DAVID E. SCHULLER, MD

Columbus, Ohio

Head & Neck 36: 309, 2014Published online 29 November 2013 in Wiley Online Library (Wileyonlinelibrary.com).DOI 10.1002/hed.23559VC 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

HEAD & NECK—DOI 10.1002/HED FEBRUARY 2014 309