The past decade has been marked by the acceleration of our understanding of the molecular biology of cancer. Simultaneously, there have been increasing exigencies to diagnose, treat and follow cancer patients more economically. Biomarkers represent the marriage of science and economics. Biomarkers offer the potential to increase the precision of diagnosis, prognosis, and surveillance of urological malignancies. This issue presents the cutting-edge advances of biomarker technology to urologic oncology.

This book discusses cancers and the resurgence of public interest in plant-based and herbal drugs. It also describes ways of obtaining anti-cancer drugs from plants and improving their production using biotechnological techniques. It presents methods such as cell culture, shoot and root culture, hairy root culture, purification of plant raw materials, genetic engineering, optimization of culture conditions as well as metabolic engineering with examples of successes like taxol, shikonin, ingenol mebutate and podophylotoxin. In addition, it describes the applications and limitations of large-scale production of anti-cancer compounds using biotechnological means. Lastly, it discusses future economical and eco-friendly strategies for obtaining anti-cancer compounds using biotechnology.

Hsp90 in Cancer: Beyond the Usual Suspects, the latest volume in the Advances in Cancer Research series, focuses on the multifunctional molecular chaperone Hsp90 which regulates the post-translational stability and function of a broad repertoire of client proteins and discusses some of the lesser-known aspects of how Hsp90 and its related family members enable oncogenic transformation and malignant progression.

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America is devoted to Head and Neck Cancer. Guest Editor Alexander Colevas, MD has assembled a group of expert authors to review the following topics: Epidemiology of SCCHN; Genetics of Head and Neck Cancers; Molecular Biology of Head and Neck Cancers; Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Treatment; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; Evolving Surgical Techniques in SCCHN; Radiation Oncology New Approaches in SCCHN; Thyroid Gland Malignancies; Sequential and Concurrent Chemoradiation; Systemic Chemotherapy for SCCHN Focus on New targets and Agents; EGFR Inhibition in SCCHN; Diagnostic and Therapeutic Assessment Imaging in Head and Neck Cancer; Salivary Gland Cancers; Immunotherapy in SCCHN; Human Papillomavirus in SCCHN; and Supportive Care Issues in SCCHN Treatment and Survivorship: Dental, Nutrition, Speech and Swallowing, Depression.

This book shares the latest research and practice-oriented findings in medical sciences with a wide audience. It addresses a range of contemporary issues, often unresolved or contentious, across various medical fields, including advances in the management of hemorrhagic brain stroke. It also discusses metastatic renal cell carcinoma - a global scourge with an extremely poor long-term survival prognosis, the course and sequelae of renal cell carcinoma, as well as advances in targeted molecular therapy with sunitinib, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Further, it examines the molecular targeting of proliferative signaling of the epidermal growth factor receptor in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Other articles cover clearance of toxins in hemodialyzed patients; the search for diagnostic and therapeutic markers in the connective tissue disease scleroderma; obesity linked to inappropriate dietary habit; clinical problems related to the diagnosis of sensitization to fungi and its role in asthma; and reasons for the perilous trend of avoiding basic vaccinations in children. Lastly, the book explores the rapid developments in e-health technologies that increase access to health services, particularly for the elderly. The book is intended for clinical specialists, researchers, and all allied health professionals from various fields.

The Editor of this publication is Dr Elise Olsen, Director of the Duke University Cutaneous Lymphoma Research and Treatment Center and professor of Dermatology and Oncology. In 2014, cutaneous lymphoma (CL) is considered a chronic, non-life threatening disease since the majority of patients are diagnosed at early stage, though progression to later stages does result in death from the disease. This issue covers T-cell and B-cell lymphomas, with content emphasis on Mycoides fungoides and Sezary syndrome, the two most common clinically encountered subtypes of CL. Pharmaceutical treatment of the disease is a part of each article and the issue uses the following Treatment outline: Mechanisms of action - Pharmacokinetics - Typical dosing - Response to therapy - Adverse effects - and Pearls to help management using the agent under discussion. Beyond Dermatologists, specialists who would find the information useful are Cancer specialists, Hematologists/Oncologists, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and Pharmacists. Some of the topics, written by the word's top experts in this disease, are: Overview of primary cutaneous lymphomas and the applicable staging and classification; Pathologic diagnosis of cutaneous lymphomas; in the section on Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome, the clinician and researcher will find such topics as Skin directed medications; Phototherapy; Systemic retinoids; Interferons; HDAC inhibiotrs, Methotrexate and praletexate, along with other chemotherapeutic agents. Also, Bone marrow transplant; Diagnosis and management of CD30+ Lymphoproliferative disorders; and Diagnosis and management of primary cutaneous B cell lymphomas.

This volume provides insight into the pivotal roles of stem cells, exosomes and other microvesicles in biofunction and molecular mechanisms and their therapeutic potential in translational nanomedicine. It further highlights evidence from recent studies as to how stem cell derived exosomes and microRNAs may restore and maintain tissue homeostasis, enable cells to recover critical cellular functions and begin repair regeneration. These early studies in animal models of aging also show evidence of improved immune, cardiovascular and cognitive functions as well as improved health span and life span. The use of exosomes from body fluids to define specific biomarkers for various tumors may also clear the path to patient-targeted treatments by developing exosome-derived microRNA based cancer therapeutics. It is essential reading for graduate students, research fellow and biomedical researchers in academia or the pharmaceutical or biotech industries.

This volume presents state-of-the-art information on each of the arms of the unfolded protein response (UPR), how their activation/repression are regulated, integrated, and coordinated, how UPR components affect cancer cell biology and responsiveness to therapeutic interventions, and how UPR components/activities offer potentially novel targets for drug discovery, repurposing, and development. The volume will provide the most recent information on the signaling and regulation of the UPR, explore examples of how the UPR and/or specific components contribute to cancer biology, and identify and explore specific examples of potently new actionable targets for drug discovery and development from within the UPR and its regulation. Unique to the volume will be a specific focus on the UPR and its role in cancer biology, as well as a discussion of the role of the UPR in drug responses and resistance in cancer.

This issue of Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America, edited by Thomas Weber, MD, is devoted to Genetic Testing in Surgical Oncology. Articles in this issue include: The Critical Importance of Timely Genetic Testing; Securing and Documenting Cancer Family History in the Age of the Electronic Medical Record; Cancer Family Registries: Vital Tools for Patient Management and Cancer Genetics Translational Research; The Genetics of Breast Cancer; The Genetics of Colorectal Cancer: HNPCC, FAP MYH, and Hamartomatous Syndromes Including Peutz-Jeghers and Jevenile Polyposis; Hereditary Gastric Cancer Syndromes; Hereditary Pancreatic Cancer Syndromes; Hereditary Melanoma: Genetics and Multidisciplinary Management; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia: Genetics and Clinical Management; Sequence Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS): What To Do When Genetic Testing Results Are Not Definitive; Confidentiality and the Risk of Genetic Discrimination: What Surgeons Need to Know; and A Certified Genetic Counselor: A Crucial Clinical Resource in the Management of Patients with Suspected Hereditary Solid Tumor Syndromes.

Cancers of the larynx, while survival outcomes increase, result in massive treatment damage from radiation and surgery. Patients often lose ability to speak and to eat. Preserving the larynx is a fine balance of cancer eradication, life extension, and quality of life. This issueof Otolaryngologic Clinics led by Dr Babak Sadoughi should be of interest to Otolaryngologists, Oncologists, Radiologists, and Speech Therapists. The issue approach reaches all the most important aspects of diagnosing and treating the patient with laryngeal cancer with a focus on preserving the voice in early laryngeal cancer and preserving and restoring function in advanced laryngeal cancer. Topics include: Functional Anatomy and Oncological Barriers of the Larynx; Evaluation of the Dysphonic Patient; Role of Advanced Laryngeal Imaging in Glottic Cancer; Laryngeal Function after Radiation Therapy; Management of Dysphonia after Radiation Therapy; Contemporary Surgical Management of Early Glottic Cancer; Voice Prognosis after Transoral Laser Microsurgery of the Larynx; Voice Rehabilitation after Transoral Laser Microsurgery of the Larynx; Quality of Life after Conservation Surgery for Laryngeal Cancer; Salvage Conservation Surgery of the Larynx; Airway Preservation in Ablative Laryngeal Surgery; Voice Restoration after Total Laryngectomy. A special article for Residents, written by a Resident, emphasizes essential "take home messages" for laryngeal function preservation diagnosis and treatment.

Cancer Screening and Genetics is reviewed extensively in this important Surgical Clinics of North America issue. Articles include: Cancer Genetics and Implications for Clinical Management; Epigenetics and Cancer; Screening and Early Detection of Cancer: Successes and Failures; Screening for Lung Cancer; Screening for Breast Cancer; Viral Hepatitis and Hepatocellular Cancer: How Should Patients Be Screened?; Screening for Pancreatic Cancer: Where Do We Stand?; Hereditary Colorectal Cancer: Genetics and Screening; Personalized Approach to Gastrointestinal Cancers; Screening for Colorectal Cancer; Screening for Prostate Cancer: Why the Controversy?; Gastric Cancer: East versus West-Is screening and early detection the difference?; and more!

The 7 chapters in this book have been selected from the contents of the Oncological Imaging section in Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology 6e. These chapters provide a succinct up-to-date overview of current imaging techniques and their clinical applications in daily practice and it is hoped that with this concise format the user will quickly grasp the fundamentals they need to know. Throughout these chapters, the relative merits of different imaging investigations are described, variations are discussed and recent imaging advances are detailed. Please note that the following chapters represent a portion of the oncological imaging aspects in the comprehensive 6th edition of Grainger's & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology (for example, abdominal tumours are considered in section C "Abdominal Imaging")

Cancer Treatment and the Ovary: Clinical and Laboratory Analysis of Ovarian Toxicity provides the reader with a basic understanding on how the ovary is adversely impacted by cancer treatment, an essential foundational knowledge for this rapidly-developing field. The book describes both the clinical and laboratory approaches to discovering the potentially adverse effects of cancer treatment on the ovary, also laying out possible preventative approaches and future directions for the field. Clinicians working in the field of reproductive biology and oncology will find an essential reference that provides the necessary tools to assess the reproductive toxicological effects of cancer treatments.

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America is devoted to Congenital and Acquired Disorders of Macrophages and Histiocytes. Guest Editors Nancy Berliner, MD and Barrett Rollins, MD have assembled a group of expert authors to review the following topics: Nosology of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH); Cell of Origin of LCH; Genomic Changes in LCH; Clinical Treatment of LCH; Neurodegeneration in LCH; Pathogenesis of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH); Familial HLH; HLH in Adults; Macrophage Activation Syndrome; and Stem Cell Transplant for HLH.

Cancer is a multifaceted and genomically complex disease and data obtained through high throughput technologies has provided near complete resolution of the landscape of how genomic, genetic and epigenetic mutations in cancerous cells effectively influence homeostasis of signaling networks within these cells, between cancerous cells, tumor microenvironment and at the organ level. Increasingly sophisticated information has helped us in developing a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of cancer, and it is now known that intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity, cellular plasticity, dysregulation of spatio-temporally controlled signaling cascades, and loss of apoptosis are contributory in cancer development, progression and the development of resistance against different therapeutics. It is becoming progressively more understandable that earlier detection of pre-existing or emerging resistance against different therapeutics may prove to be helpful in personalizing the use of targeted cancer therapy. Despite the fact that there is a continuously increasing list of books, being guest edited by researchers, books on the subject are often composed of invited reviews without proper sequence and continuity and designed for a particular readership. This book progressively shifts and guides the readers from basic underlying mechanisms to translational approaches to treat cancer.

This issue of Recent Results in Cancer Research presents a comprehensive review of current understanding of chromosomal instability in cancer and of strategies to use this information for better treatment of patients with cancer. Cancer is a disease of the chromosomes, and chromosomal instability in cancer disrupts gene function by either inactivating tumor suppressor genes or activating growth-promoting oncogenes. The chromosomal basis for these aberrations is either translocations, which change the integrity of genes, or abnormal numbers of chromosomes, a condition referred to as aneuploidy, which results in abnormal gene expression levels. Such structural or numerical chromosomal aberrations are specific for distinct tumor entities. The degree of chromosomal instability and the degree of intratumor heterogeneity have profound consequences for disease outcome and for therapeutic stratification.

Drs. Robert J. Lewandowski and Matthew S. Davenport have assembled an expert panel of authors on the topic of Interventional Radiology. Articles will include: Abdominal Biopsy: Technical and Clinical Considerations; Intra-arterial Therapies for Liver Masses; Liver Ablation: Best Practice; Renal Intervention; Imaging (Findings) after Intervention; Assessing Imaging Response to Therapy; Liver Masses: Imaging Evaluation in Non-cirrhotics; Imaging in Cirrhotics: Current Evidence; Renal Masses: Imaging Evaluation; Adrenal Imaging/Intervention; The Pancreas; and more!

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics, guest edited by Dr. F. Stephen Hodi, is devoted to Melanoma. Articles in this issue include: The current state of Melanoma; Understanding the Biology of Melanoma Development and Therapeutic Implications; Surgical Management of Melanoma; Targeted Therapies for Cutaneous Melanoma; Treatments for Non-cutaneous Melanoma; Resistant Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications; The Role of the Immune System in Melanoma Development and Treatment; Vaccines and Melanoma; IL-2, Interferon, and Cytokines; Immune Checkpoint Blockade; Adjuvant Treatments, Chance for Cure in Melanoma; and Combinatorial Approach to Treatment of Melanoma.

The Guest Editors have assembled top key opinion leaders to provide current reviews on the multidisciplinary approach to the management of high-grade bladder cancer. Articles are devoted to fluorescence cystoscopy, confocal laser endomicroscopy, narrow band imaging; Novel therapeutic approaches for recurrent nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer; Trimodality therapy in bladder cancer; the data and the reality of perioperative chemotherapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer; radical transurethral resection alone, robotic or partial cystectomy or extended lymphadenectomy: Neoadjuvant paradigm for drug development in muscle invasive bladder cancer; Novel biomarkers to predict response and prognosis in localized bladder cancer; Immunotherapy in Advanced/Metastatic Urothelial Cancer ; and Adjuvant Chemotherapy in High Grade Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer.

The Editors for this 2-part issue of Otolaryngologic Clinics, Dr George Wanna and Dr Matthew Luke Carlson, envisioned a publication that reviews the evaluation and management of common ear and lateral skull base tumors. Intended audience includes Otologists, Neurotologists, General otolaryngologists and Neurosurgeons alike. The development of management of lateral skull base tumors has been rapid, in the past 40 years there has been a tremendous shift toward conservative therapy for benign lesions. Focused chapters review specific pathologies plus a chapter focused on stereotactic radiotherapy. Topics written by reputed leaders in the field of Otology and skull base tumors include: Imaging of temporal bone lesions; Squamous cell carcinoma of the temporal bone; Glomus tympanicum; Adenomatous tumors of the middle ear; Intralabyrinthine schwannomas; Vestibular schwannoma; Neurofibromatosis2 (including ABI and CI); Non-schwannoma tumors of the CPA; Glomus jugulare; Endolymphatic sac tumors; Non-paraganglioma jugular foramen tumors; Primary tumors of the facial nerve; Cholesterol granuloma and other petrous apex lesions; Stereotactic radiosurgery for tumors of the lateral skull base; Pediatric temporal bone malignancy; and Historical perspective on evolution in management of lateral skull base tumors.

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America is devoted to Pancreatic Cancer. Guest Editor Brian Wolpin, MD has assembled a group of expert authors to review the following topics: Biology and genetics of pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Mouse models of pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Epidemiology and inherited predisposition for sporadic pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Familial pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Imaging and endoscopic approaches to pancreatic cancer; Diagnosis and management of pancreatic cystic neoplasms; Surgical management of pancreatic cancer; Peri-operative therapy for surgically resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Diagnosis and management of borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Treatment approaches to locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Therapeutic approaches for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Supportive and end-of-life care for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma; and Novel therapeutics for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.