Cancer: How Lifestyles May Impact Disease Development, Progression, and Treatment explores different processes that influence the efficacy of treatments and what lifestyle and behavioral modification options are available to patients to improve therapy responses, with a focus on addressing their strengths and weaknesses. The book discusses mechanisms by which particular lifestyles may affect cancer processes, including various aspects of immune functioning, inflammatory and energy-related processes, reactive oxygen species, hormonal and neurotransmitter mechanisms, the role of neurotrophins, and microbial effects. Considerable attention is devoted to the impact of psychosocial processes that indirectly affect disease occurrence, and to behavioral change methods.

The Vascular Endothelium: A Holistic Approach for Oncology provides novel and integrated knowledge on the endothelial cells as a crucial component involved in the growth of different organs in both physiological and pathological conditions. By covering diverse aspects of anatomy, embryology, molecular biology and pathology, it details the important role of the endothelium for the pathogenesis of cancer and how this knowledge can improve the outcome of cancer research. The content is split in six parts: appearance and evolution of the endothelial cell, which discusses for instance comparative anatomy of the endothelium in relation to the vascular system; endothelial cell in embryology and organogenesis, covering the interaction between endothelial and hematopoietic cells; the lymphatic system, which brings information on lymphatic endothelial cell markers and molecular regulation of lymphangiogenesis; the anatomy of the endothelium in adults, showing the differences in the mature endothelial cells through the body; the physiology of the endothelial cells, with organ specific physiological activity of the endothelium; and the endothelial cells in cancer, discussing the use of endothelium as target for treatment and current therapeutic approaches. This book is a valuable resource for cancer researchers, oncologists and other members of biomedical field who are interested to learn more about the complexity of vascular endothelium and its impact on cancer and other related diseases.

"Alison, I’ve got bad news."

The voice of the pathologist at the other end of the telephone confirmed for Alison Tucker the news no woman ever wants to hear: she had breast cancer. Once the shock had settled, Alison decided that she would take charge. Not only would she take ownership of the dreaded disease, but she would do so with a positive mindset and prepare herself as best she could for what was to come. She did detailed research and paid close heed to what she was told by others who had walked the path before her. As she navigated her way through surgery and the chemotherapy and radiotherapy that followed, Alison’s determination paid off. Not only did she make new friends, but she learnt valuable life lessons too: acceptance of the illness for what it was, the amazing impact of ongoing advances in medical science, and the importance of being able to ask for – and receive – help.

In My Best Worst Year – A Breast Cancer Story, Alison gives us an authentic account of her experience, offering insights and advice for others who might one day face the same diagnosis. You will accompany her on her highs, empathise with her lows, and be amused by humorous anecdotes along the way. Through the generous support of family and friends, she has amassed a collection of practical tips for both patients and supporters which she shares with open-hearted honesty:

• What to take to chemotherapy sessions
• What to look for when choosing a wig
• What side effects a person can expect when having the various types of cancer treatment
• What to say, and what not to say, to a cancer patient
• How to remove stress from a cancer patient’s life
• What kind of gifts and gestures are most appreciated

Contrary to Alison’s expectations, her year of treatment turned out to be her best worst year. By telling her story, she underlines the importance of a positive attitude and hopes to show that a person can still lead a productive and enjoyable life even after being diagnosed with cancer.

Advances in Cancer Research provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. Here, once again, outstanding and original reviews are presented on a variety of topics.

MicroRNA in Human Malignancies offers a deep overview of the role and translational significance of miRNAs in the development of cancer and other malignancies. The book establishes the foundations of the field by covering essential mechanisms and the translational potential of miRNAs in the field of oncology. Specific topics covered include invasion and metastasis, miRNAs and metabolism, and opportunities of miRNAs in therapeutics. Chapters on diseases include content on disease-related pathophysiology, as well as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive value. This book is an essential reference for students entering the field, as well as researchers and investigators.

The traditional approach to cancer is that the patient must view cancer as the enemy and engage in a war to vanquish that enemy. Ann Wax, RN, argues that this approach is incorrect and invariably leads to pain, self doubt, and depression. Instead, she argues that one must find calm and inner-peace first, in order to promote healing.

The interactions of cells with their surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a pivotal role in driving normal cell behavior, from development to tissue differentiation and function. At the cellular level, organ homeostasis depends on a productive communication between cells and ECM, which eventually leads to the normal phenotypic repertoire that characterize each cell type in the organism. A failure to establish these normal interactions and to interpret the cues emanating from the ECM is one of the major causes in abnormal development and the pathogenesis of multiple diseases. To recognize and act upon the biophysical signals that are generated by the cross talk between cells and ECM, the cells developed specific receptors, among them a unique set of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), known as the Discoidin Domain Receptors (DDRs). The DDRs are the only RTKs that specifically bind to and are activated by collagen, a major protein component of the ECM. Hence, the DDRs are part of the signaling networks that translate information from the ECM, and thus they are key regulators of cell-matrix interactions. Under physiological conditions, DDRs control cell and tissue homeostasis by acting on collagen sensors; transducing signals that regulate cell polarity, tissue morphogenesis, cell differentiation, and collagen deposition. DDRs play a key role in diseases that are characterized by dysfunction of the stromal component, which lead to abnormal collagen deposition and the resulting fibrotic response that disrupt normal organ function in disease of the cardiovascular system, lungs and kidneys, just to mention a few. In cancer, DDRs are hijacked by tumor and stromal cells to disrupt normal cell-collagen communication and initiate pro-oncogenic programs. Importantly, several cancer types exhibit DDR mutations, which are thought to alter receptor function, and contribute to cancer progression. Therefore, the strong causative association between altered RTK function and disease it is been translated today in the development of specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting DDRs for various disease conditions. In spite of the accumulating evidence highlighting the importance of DDRs in health and diseases, there is still much to learn about these unique RTKs, as of today there is a lack in the medical literature of a book dedicated solely to DDRs. This is the first comprehensive volume dedicated to DDRs, which will fill a gap in the field and serve those interested in the scientific community to learn more about these important receptors in health and disease.

Anti-angiogenic Drugs as Chemosensitizers in Cancer Therapy, Volume 19 focuses on the use of anti-angiogenic drugs as sensitizers of tumor cells to the inhibitory activity of antitumor agents. Conventional and novel anti-neoplastic agents (cytotoxic molecules, hormones/antihormones, immunotherapies) are taken into consideration, along with advances made in combination therapies. The book encompasses examples of studies on the use of antiangiogenic compounds-molecules that inhibit the growth of vessels inside a tumor-together with antineoplastic drugs in order to sensitize the resistant tumor to their cytotoxic effects, thus reducing adverse side reactions and resistance and improving the therapeutic response of cancer patients. In addition, the book discusses clinical applications in various types of cancer, such as colorectal, lung, breast, renal, genitourinary, skin and brain and circulating tumors. It is a valuable resource for cancer researchers, clinicians and members of the biomedical field who wants to be up-to-date on the most recent and promising developments in the field.

Despite success with treatment when diagnosed early, breast cancer is still one of the most fatal forms of cancer for women. Imaging diagnosis is still one of the most efficient ways to detect early breast changes with mammography among the most used techniques. However, there are other techniques that have emerged as alternatives or even complementary tests in the early detection of breast lesions (e.g., breast thermography and electrical impedance tomography). Artificial intelligence can be used to optimize image diagnosis, increasing the reliability of the reports and supporting professionals who do not have enough knowledge or experience to make good diagnoses. Biomedical Computing for Breast Cancer Detection and Diagnosis is a collection of research that presents a review of the physiology and anatomy of the breast; the dynamics of breast cancer; principles of pattern recognition, artificial neural networks, and computer graphics; and the breast imaging techniques and computational methods to support and optimize the diagnosis. While highlighting topics including mammograms, thermographic imaging, and intelligent systems, this book is ideally designed for medical oncologists, surgeons, biomedical engineers, medical imaging professionals, cancer researchers, academicians, and students in medicine, biomedicine, biomedical engineering, and computer science.

Currently, intensive effort is being directed toward the identification of molecular targets that can provide approaches to the development of novel therapeutic strategies in cancer management. This book focuses on metastasis-associated genes, metastasis promoter and suppressor genes, which relate specifically to behavioral alterations of cancer cells in epithelial mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cell maintenance and propagation, and to the acquisition of invasive and metastasis faculty. The function of these genes has implications for cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation and so constitute an essential element in cancer growth and dissemination. The emphasis in this book is on how appropriate these genes are as molecular targets and how practicable are the constituents of their signal transduction systems as potential candidates and how accessible they are to targeted therapy. Written in a straightforward and clear style with background information supporting the new research, this book will be useful for students and researchers in cancer therapies.
Identifies molecular targets and their accessibility for therapeutic interventionProvides information on biological features of tumor development and dissemination Background information provided for each topic