The current volume represents the fourth over a period of five years in our series on Advances in the Cellular and Molecular Biology of Breast Cancer. The first three volumes were entitled Breast Cancer: Cellular and Molecular Biology, Regulatory Mechanisms in Breast Cancer, and Genes, Oncogenes, and Hormones, respectively. Throughout this series, we have tried to take a broad look at cutting-edge topics in basic science research into breast cancer. This attempt has resulted in a wide range of subject material, including rodent and human model systems, oncogenes, suppressor genes, growth factors, hormones, tumor-host interactions, and determinants of metastases. Since our last volume, research in breast cancer has continued to proceed at an explosive rate. We hope the current volume will provide the reader with some of the excitement felt by the editors and authors as we begin to understand this all-too-common disease. The first section of this book is devoted to the basic processes of proli feration, differentiation, and malignant progression of breast cancer. T.l. Anderson and W.R. Miller lead off with a detailed description of controls on proliferation in the normal human breast and in breast cancer. This chapter strongly emphasizes pathological aspects. The second chapter, by M.R. Stampfer and P. Yaswen, presents a corresponding viewpoint through a presentation of experiments with human mammary epithelial cells in culture. The second section of the book emphasizes the genetic basis for breast cancer onset and malignant progression. Chapter 3, by M.-C. King and S."

Where do you begin to look for a recent, authoritative article on the diag nosis or management of a particular malignancy? The few general oncology textbooks are generally out of date. Single papers in specialized journals are informative but seldom comprehensive; these are more often preliminary reports on a very limited number of patients. Certain general journals fre quently publish good in-depth reviews of cancer topics, and published sym posium lectures are often the best overviews available. Unfortunately, these reviews and supplements appear sporadically, and the reader can never be sure when a topic of special interest will be covered. Cancer Treatment and Research is a series of authoritative volumes which aim to meet this need. It is an attempt to establish a critical mass of oncology literature covering virtually all oncology topics, revised frequently to keep the coverage up to date, easily available on a single library shelf or by a single personal subscription. We have approached the problem in the following fashion. First, by di viding the oncology literature into specific subdivisions such as lung cancer, genitourinary cancer, pediatric oncology, etc. Second, by asking eminent authorities in each of these areas to edit a volume on the specific topic on an annual or biannual basis. Each topic and tumor type is covered in a volume appearing frequently and predictably, discussing current diagnosis, staging, markers, all forms of treatment modalities, basic biology, and more."

Cancer is one of the leading killers in the world and the incidence is increasing, but most cancer patients and cancer survivors suffer much from the disease and its conventional treatments' side effects. In the past, clinical data showed that some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) possessed anticancer abilities, but some clinicians and scientists have queried about the scientific validity of CAM due to the lack of scientific evidence. There is great demand in the knowledge gap to explore the scientific and evidence-based knowledge of CAM in the anticancer field. With this aim, a book series is needed to structurally deliver the knowledge to readers. Recently there have been encouraging results from both laboratory experiments and clinical trials demonstrating the anticancer effects of herbal medicine. There is considerable interest among oncologists and cancer researchers to find anticancer agents in herbal medicine. This volume is a specialised book presenting the up-to-date scientific evidence for anticancer herbal medicine. This unique book provides an overview of the anticancer herbal medicines and remedies, as well as a detailed evidence-based evaluation of 18 common anticancer herbal medicines covering their biological and pharmacological properties, efficacies, herb-drug interactions, adverse effects, pre-clinical studies, and clinical applications. Gathering international opinion leaders' views, this volume will contribute great to the cancer, academic, and clinical community by providing evidence-based information on the anticancer efficacy of herbal medicine. Readership Oncologists, cancer researchers, pharmacologists, pharmaceutical specialists, Chinese medicine practitioners, medical educators, postgraduates and advanced undergraduates in biomedical disciplines, cancer caregivers, cancer patients.

This book is targeted to biologists with limited statistical background and to statisticians and computer scientists interested in being effective collaborators on multi-disciplinary DNA microarray projects. State-of-the-art analysis methods are presented with minimal mathematical notation and a focus on concepts. This book is unique because it is authored by statisticians at the National Cancer Institute who are actively involved in the application of microarray technology. Many laboratories are not equipped to effectively design and analyze studies that take advantage of the promise of microarrays. Many of the software packages available to biologists were developed without involvement of statisticians experienced in such studies and contain tools that may not be optimal for particular applications. This book provides a sound preparation for designing microarray studies that have clear objectives, and for selecting analysis tools and strategies that provide clear and valid answers. The book offers an in depth understanding of the design and analysis of experiments utilizing microarrays and should benefit scientists regardless of what software packages they prefer. In order to provide all readers with hands on experience in data analysis, it includes an Appendix tutorial on the use of BRB-ArrayTools and step by step analyses of several major datasets using this software which is freely available from the National Cancer Institute for non-commercial use. The authors are current or former members of the Biometric Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute.  They have collaborated on major biomedical studies utilizing microarrays and in the development of statistical methodology for the design and analysis of microarray investigations. Dr. Simon, chief of the branch, is also the architect of BRB-ArrayTools.

It is now established that dysregulated cell stress response pathways play a critical role in tumorigenesis, and a refined mechanistic understanding of this phenomenon at the molecular level promises to open new avenues for targeted therapeutic strategies that may benefit cancer patients in the near future. Coauthored by recognized leaders in cancer research from five continents, this novel book provides a comprehensive perspective on cell stress response pathways and therapeutic opportunities. Focusing on the role of genotoxic, proteotoxic, oxidative, metabolic, and inflammatory stress in tumorigenesis, the book is essential reading for students, basic researchers, and biomedical health care professionals interested in cancer and therapeutic development.

Where do you begin to look for a recent, authoritative article on the diagnosis or management of a particular malignancy? The few general oncology textbooks are generally out of date. Single papers in specialized journals are informative but seldom comprehensive; these are more often preliminary reports on a very limited number of patients. Certain general journals frequently publish good in-depth reviews of cancer topics, and published symposium lectures are often the best overviews available. Unfortunately, these reviews and supplements appear sporadically, and the reader can never be sure when a topic of special interest will be covered. Cancer Treatment and Research is a series of authoritative volumes that aim to meet this need. It is an attempt to establish a critical mass of oncology literature covering virtually all oncology topics, revised frequently to keep the coverage up to date, and easily available on a single library shelf or by a single personal subscription. We have approached the problem in the following fashion: first, by dividing the oncology literature into specific subdivisions such as lung cancer, genitourinary cancer, pediatric oncology, etc.; and second, by asking eminent authorities in each of these areas to edit a volume on the specific topic on an annual or biannual basis. Each topic and tumor type is covered in a volume appearing frequently and predictably, discussing current di agnosis, staging, markers, all forms of treatment modalities, basic biology, and more."

Where do you begin to look for a recent, authoritative article on the diagnosis or management ofa particular malignancy? The few general onco logy textbooks are generally out of date. Single papers in specialized journals are informative but seldom comprehensive; these are more often prelimi nary reports on a very limited number of patients. Certain general journals frequently publish good indepth reviews of cancer topics, and published symposium lectures are often the best overviews available. Unfortunately, these reviews and supplements appear sporadically, and the reader can nev er be sure when a topic of special interest will be covered. Cancer Treatment and Research is a series of authoritative volumes which aim to meet this need. It is an attempt to establish a critical mass of oncology literature covering virtually all oncology topics, revised frequently to keep the coverage up to date, easily available on a single library shelf or by a single personal subscription. We have approached the problem in the following fashion. First, by div iding the oncology literature into specific subdividions such as lung cancer, genitourinary cancer, pediatric oncology, etc. Second, by asking eminent authorities in each of these areas to edit a volume on the specific topic on an annual or biannual basis. Each topic and tumor type is covered in a volume appearing frequently and predictably, discussing current diagnosis, staging, markers, all forms of treatment modalities, basic biology, and more."

Now divided into four parts, the second edition of Cancer Pain delivers broad coverage of the issues that arise in the management of malignancy-related pain, from basic science, through end of life care and associated ethical issues, to therapies, both medical and complementary. Part One reviews basis considerations in cancer pain management, including epidemiology, pharmacology, history-taking and patient evaluation and teamworking. Part Two brings together the drug therapies for cancer pain, their underlying basis, and potential side-effects. Part Three covers the non-drug therapies, including nerve blocks, stimulation-induced analgesia, radiotherapy, complementary therapies and psychological interventions. The control of symptoms other than pain, so critical to cancer patients, is also considered here. Part Four describes special situations. Cancer pain management in children and older patients, and in the community setting, and pain in the dying patient and the cancer survivor are all covered here.

This textbook presents concise chapters written by internationally respected experts on various important aspects of cancer-associated metabolism, offering a comprehensive overview of the central features of this exciting research field. The discovery that tumor cells display characteristic alterations of metabolic pathways has significantly changed our understanding of cancer: while the first description of tumor-specific changes in cellular energetics was published more than 90 years ago, the causal significance of this observation for the pathogenesis of cancer was only discovered in the post-genome era. The first 10 years of the twenty-first century were characterized by rapid advances in our grasp of the functional role of cancer-specific metabolism as well as the underlying molecular pathways. Various unanticipated interrelations between metabolic alterations and cancer-driving pathways were identified and currently await translation into diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Yet the speed, quantity, and complexity of these new discoveries make it difficult for researchers to keep up to date with the latest developments, an issue this book helps to remedy.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The inspirational memoir from the founder of the You, Me and the Big C podcast, Rachael Bland. Courageous and life-affirming, this is a mother’s final gift to her son. My beautiful son, I so wish that I didn’t have to leave you now. But believe me, I tried EVERYTHING I could to stay around for you, and for every moment I could eke out of this life. From the outset, it was not a fair fight. My cancer was too big, and too aggressive, and we didn’t start on a level playing field. You were fourteen months old and at the beginning I was so full of fierce intention that we could get past this. I would lay you in your cot each night and silently communicate from my mind to yours, ‘I will do this Freddie, I will gladly take whatever they throw at me if it means we can stay together’. In 2016, beloved broadcaster and journalist Rachael Bland was diagnosed with cancer. Shortly afterwards she made the brave decision to share her story, and she spoke with beautiful poignancy through her blog and podcast, You, Me and the Big C. Having been told that she only had a matter of months left to live and writing this in what were sadly her final days, Rachael brings her warmth, courage and humour to the page in this heart-warming and heart-breaking story. Part memoir, part advice, For Freddie beautifully encapsulates the grace and fearlessness in which Rachael lived her life. This is her legacy and an incredible final gift to her son. Includes moving contributions from Richard Bacon, Tony Livesey, Emma Barnett, Shelagh Fogarty, Mark Pougatch, Chris Stark and many more.

The immune system can deal effectively with the majority of viruses and bacteria, less effectively with parasites, and very poorly with cancer. Why is this so? Why are McFarlane Burnet's and Lewis Thomas' predictions that the immune system is in volved in ridding the body of cancer cells, encapsulated in the catchy phrase "immunologic surveillance," so difficult to experi mentally establish? Cancer differs from infectious agents in being derived from the host. Hence, it has been postulated that cancer cells lack anti gens that the immune system can recognize. They are not "im munogenic. " However, this argument is seriously weakened by the existence of numerous human autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system effectively recognizes and attacks a va riety of self tissues. Thus, the potential clearly exists for recogni tion of the surfaces of tumor cells. Professor Naor and his colleagues have written a book that explores another possible reason: cancer cells are recognized by the immune system-but is it possible that the consequence of recognition is inhibition of the immune system-by suppressor T cells or macrophages? The evolution of the malignant state may only occur in individuals who develop this suppression. This book reviews the evidence that suppressor cells, poorly characterized and difficult to study, may be of fundamental im portance in cancer. In fact, our incapacity to understand the na ture of suppressor cells and their mode of action is one of the ma jor problems in immunology research today."

In this issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics, guest editors Drs. Sung-Yun Pai and Nirali N. Shah bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Gene-Based Therapies for Pediatric Blood Diseases. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as CAR T-cell therapy: current status; engineered T cells; NK-cell therapy; hemoglobinopathies: beta-thalassemia, sickle cell disease; hemophilia A/B; primary immunodeficiencies; and more. Contains 14 relevant, practice-oriented topics including the evolution of gene therapy; viral vectors in hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy; gene editing in hematopoietic stem cells; nonintegrating vectors and engineered capsids; regulatory aspects of gene therapy; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on gene-based therapies for pediatric blood diseases, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

In this issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics, guest editors Drs. Matthew B. Yurgelun and Douglas A. Rubinson bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Pancreatic Cancer. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma: trends in epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes; decision making regarding perioperative therapy in individuals with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma; the evolving role of radiotherapy in the management of individuals with pancreatic adenocarcinoma; and more. Contains 14 relevant, practice-oriented topics including diabetes, cachexia, sarcopenia, and metabolic factors in individuals with pancreatic adenocarcinoma; PARP inhibitors and other novel therapeutics in pancreatic adenocarcinoma; screening and surveillance for pancreatic adenocarcinoma in high-risk individuals; germline testing for individuals with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and novel genetic risk factors; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on pancreatic cancer, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

KENNETH A. FOON and ALTON C. MORGAN, JR. Passive immunotherapy using heteroantisera for the treatment of cancer in animals and humans has been studied for over 50 years. Attempts have been made to treat animal tumors with sera from immunized syngeneic, allogeneic, or xenogeneic animals. A number of studies of passive immunotherapy using heterologous antisera in humans have also been performed. These studies have generally been attempted in patients with large tumor burdens, and as would be expected, results have been transient at best. A wide variety of solid tumors as well as leukemias and lym- phomas have been treated with antisera raised in sheep, horses, rabbits, and goats. Problems such as anaphylaxis, serum sick- ness, and severe cytopenias have been encountered with these antisera. There are a number of potential mechanisms by which unconju- gated antibodies might be cytotoxic to tumor cells. Antibodies bound to the cell surface membrane of tumor cells may lead to cell lysis by complement-dependent or antibody-dependent cellu- lar cytotoxicity. Circulating tumor cells bound by antibody may be more susceptible to phagocytosis by the reticuloendothelial system. Antibody bound to the cell surface membrane of tumor cells may enhance immunogenicity of the tumor cell leading to activation of the host's immune system.

The knowledge of Th17 cells and other cell populations which secrete IL-17A, and/or IL-22 has expanded tremendously since the publication of the first edition "Th17 Cells: Role in Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease" in 2008. The present volume has been completely revised with the addition of new chapters on the IL-17 receptor family and signaling, and an in-depth review of IL-22 and innate lymphoid cells. The differentiation of na ve T cells into regulatory T cells and Th17 cells as well as the plasticity of Th17 cells is discussed. The role of IL-22 in cutaneous inflammation including psoriasis has been reviewed. In addition, the volume contains critical updates on autoimmunity, organ transplantation, tumor immunology and genetic mouse models for mechanistic studies. Lastly, the latest clinical progress in neutralizing antibodies to IL-17A, IL-17RA not only confirms the therapeutic promise foreseen in 2008, but also improves our knowledge of the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. In summary, this is a timely update and important review of the clinical and experimental aspects of IL-17, IL-22 and their producing cells.

An authoritative panel of researchers and clinicians critically reviews the entire field to provide a comprehensive guide to modern brain tumor immunotherapy and thereby enhance future research in this area. The contributors detail many of the key laboratory experiments and clinical protocols that are currently being investigated, integrate the available information from previous and ongoing research, and help define the current status of the field. Topics range from adoptive cellular and antibody-mediated immunotherapy of brain tumors to tumor vaccines and related strategies, and include many vanguard experimental strategies and immunological techniques for studying brain tumor immunotherapy. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Brain Tumor Immunotherapy brings together all the important recent advances in our understanding of central nervous system tumor immunology and illustrates in powerful detail the many new applications now harnessing the immune response for brain tumor therapeutics.

The understanding of the role of dendritic cells (DCs) in immune responses has come a long way since Steinmann and colleagues described these cells in 1972. - tensive research during the intervening period has provided a good understanding of the complexity of the DC system and its pivotal role in immunity. It is also now clearer how different subsets of DCs interact and regulate each other and how DC populations affect the function of other cells of the immune system. The improved understanding of their role in immune response has led to the idea that modulation of DC functions by, for example, pharmacological agents could be used as a pot- tial therapeutic approach in some pathological conditions. The actual applicability and therapeutic potential of all these approaches is yet to be fully demonstrated but nonetheless, animal models of human diseases are proving to be very helpful in the evaluation of manipulated DCs as a new treatment in diseases like cancer, auto- munity or asthma. DCs are integral to the initiation and regulation of immune response (Banchereau et al. 2000). The outcome of antigen presentation by DCs is determined by their maturation status, which can be induced by their interaction with danger signals. To recognise a wide array of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP), DCs express a number of pattern recognition receptors (PRR) such as Toll-like rec- tors (TLRs) and C-type lectin receptors (CLR) that recognise structural components of pathogens and discriminate between self and non-self molecules.

Cancer Epidemiology in Asian Americans is a comprehensive volume that provides the most current research on cancer etiology within this fast growing population sub-group in the United States. The book explores epidemiologic methods that are typically used in migrant studies, providing descriptive epidemiology of cancer patterns separately in Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and other Asian ethnic groups including Asian Indians, Koreans, Vietnamese, and other Southeast Asians. A major focus of the volume provides reviews of analytic risk factors for specific cancer sites including lung, colorectal, prostate, breast, liver and more. These chapters aim to explain the increases or decreases in incidence rates of various cancers upon migration, paying attention to changing risk factor prevalence, the importance of timing of exposures, and other co-factors important in the etiology of these cancers. Genetic determinants and gene-environment relationships associated with specific cancers are also discussed.. This first of its kind volume that is devoted to studies of cancer in Asian Americans provides a foundation to better understanding of environmental and lifestyle causes of cancer in this group, identifying gaps in our knowledge, and potential strategies for prevention.

Tamoxifen has persisted as a widely accepted and administered drug for almost 25 years. Following the many scientific papers and books on the subject, it has remained a very intriguing substance. This, perhaps, is the reason for another monograph on Tamoxifen. It is regrettably true that overviews, even when up to date after exhaustive research - the shibboleth of our cultures -, rapidly lose relevance with the passage of time. Scientists can sometimes be pictured as deep sea divers, who plunge into the unknown in search of a hitherto unknown world. Their descent is exciting, but eventually they must come up for air and integrate their experiences with others who also had to resurface. This book intends to collect and, where possible, to collate recent, but sometimes seemingly unrelated information. To quote Stephane Mallarme: "Everything in the world exists to end up in a book." Even if this is a tad cynical, it might not be far from the truth. If a little knowledge is a dangerous commodity, one can also add - tongue in cheek - that a vast amount of knowledge can be truly hazardous. It is likely that what might seem as entangled data is confusing, especially for those satisfied with the comfortable interpretation of Tamoxifen as an antiestrogen which has long been found insufficient. The complexity of its mechanisms and effects defies simple explanations and may even seem capricious, but only because of our ignorance.

Targeted intraoperative radiotherapy is a major advance in the management of cancer patients and has been attracting massive interest worldwide following publication of the results of an important randomized controlled trial in The Lancet. This textbook is designed to introduce this innovative technology in a comprehensive manner to clinicians dealing with cancer patients. Throughout, the emphasis is on practical aspects, and the text is supported by many excellent illustrations. The editors of the book have extensive experience in targeted intraoperative radiotherapy and include co-directors of the TARGIT Academy, which runs international training courses on the technology in the United Kingdom and Germany. They have brought together multidisciplinary contributors from different centers across the world who have wide experience in the field and whose work has been recognized internationally. It is the editors' hope that this book will succeed in ensuring that targeted intraoperative radiotherapy is used effectively worldwide.

The identification of normal and breast cancer stem cells has offered a new vision of this heterogeneous disease and new hopes for its prognosis and treatment. This volume provides an overview of recent developments in mammary stem cell research and discusses the many varieties of approaches used by researchers to investigate the properties and functions of mammary stem cells. The beginning chapters provide readers with an introduction to mammary stem cells, and the processes used to characterize stem cells and isolate them via fluorescent activated cell sorting. The next few chapters discuss DNA and mRNA sequencing, proteomic techniques to help profile cells, lentiviral cell transduction for gene expression, and in vivo lineage tracing. The final few chapters are dedicated to following stem cells from their initial niche to the new microenvironment at their metastasis site, and to studying these cells using physical and mathematical approaches. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the laboratory. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Mammary Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols aims to help members of the scientific community explore the behavior of stem cells and how to work with them in order to guide the design of new and complimentary strategies to be applied in the clinic with the ultimate end goal of fighting breast cancer.

Lung cancer remains an extremely difficult neoplasm to treat effectively. A large part of our lack of success in dealing with these patients is related to our empiric therapeutic attempts. Slowly our basic understanding of the lung cancers is improving and techniques are becoming available to allow us to better understand the biology of these neoplasms. This volume reviews several areas of interest in regard to the biologic behavior and characteris of lung cancer. tics Chapters deal with the in vitro growth of small cell lung cancer, the inves tigation of growth factors in human lung cancer, the production of mono clonal antibodies against lung cancer and the application and potential use fulness of the human tumor cloning assay in lung cancer management. These avenues of investigation are likely to establish a more scientific basis on which more rational therapy can be designed. Carney and associates have established several continuous small cell lung cancer cell lines in their laboratory. The amine precursor uptake and decar boxylation (APUD) properties of this neoplasm have been confirmed by demonstrating the presence of neurosecretory granules and high levels of the APUD enzyme L-dopa decarboxylase. In addition, several new markers have been documented including bombesin, creatine-kinase BB and neuron specific enolase. These tumor products along with others may be useful serum markers in patients with small cell lung cancer."

Leading experts summarize and synthesize the latest discoveries concerning the changes that occur in tumor cells as they develop resistance to anticancer drugs, and suggest new approaches to preventing and overcoming it. The authors review physiological resistance based upon tumor architecture, cellular resistance based on drug transport, epigenetic changes that neutralize or bypass drug cytotoxicity, and genetic changes that alter drug target molecules by decreasing or eliminating drug binding and efficacy. Highlights include new insights into resistance to antiangiogenic therapies, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in therapeutic resistance, cancer stem cells, and the development of more effective therapies. There are also new findings on tumor immune escape mechanisms, gene amplification in drug resistance, the molecular determinants of multidrug resistance, and resistance to taxanes and Herceptin.

New and exciting biological functions are still being discovered for vitamin A derivatives, including the vast number of physiological activities of retinoids. In Retinoids: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field present the most recent technical tools with diverse techniques for both in vitro and in vivo studies. Combining biochemical, biophysical, and cell biological techniques, the book addresses topics such as the detection and quantitation of retinoids using HPLC, mass spectrometry, and fluorescence, fluorescence anisotropy of retinol binding protein, cell culture models for studying retinoid transport and the role of retinol in embryonic stem cell culture, as well as many other detailed procedures. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology(TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective subjects, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes highlighting tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Retinoids: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid beginning and experienced researchers from widely varied fields in the search to uncover even more vital aspects of vitamin A's impact on the human body.

Clinical and pathological observations have unequivocally indicated an increase in the incidence of malignant neoplasia during the last two decades. Despite important advances in surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, mortality from tumours still tends to increase. Cancer research has therefore concentrated not only on early diagnosis and therapy but also, in line with recent trends in medical science, on the prevention of oncogenesis. One effi- cient prophylactic approach is the treatment of preblastomatoses, which include the preneoplastic lesions of the mouth. The most frequent oral pre- cancerosis, leukoplakia, has been studied extensively during the last 20 years with regard to its pathogenesis,clinical course,and response to therapy. In Hungary, studies of oral leukoplakia have a century-long tradition. The term leukoplakia was coined by the Hungarian dermatologist Ern/) Schwimmer who recognized the precancerous nature of the condition and its relationship to tobacco smoking exactly 100 years ago. In the middle of this century another Hungarian scientist, Karoly Balogh established that most leukoplakias have two stages, - reversible and irreversible - and that early lesions may heal spontaneously after the elimination of irritational factors. The incidence of leukoplakia in random population groups was determined for the first time in the world by the Hungarian investigator Pal Bruszt, and reported to be 3.6 %. Subsequent studies in other countries confirmed a range of 0.2-8.1 %, depending on geographical and environ- mental conditions, way of life, and relevant habits.