With many recent advances, cancer cell culture research is more important than ever before. This timely edition of Cancer Cell Culture: Methods and Protocols covers the basic concepts of cancer cell biology and culture while expanding upon the recent shift in cell culture methods from the generation of new cell lines to the use of primary cells. There are methods to characterize and authenticate cell lines, to isolate and develop specific types of cancer cells, and to develop new cell line models. Functional assays are provided for the evaluation of clonogenicity, cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, invasion, senescence, angiogenesis, and cell cycle parameters. Other methods permit the modification of cells for transfection, drug resistance, immortalization, and transfer in vivo, the co-culture of different cell types, and the detection and treatment of contamination. In this new edition, specific emphasis is placed on safe working practice for both cells and laboratory researchers. These chapters contain the information critical to success - only by good practice and quality control will the results of cancer cell culture improve. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, Cancer Cell Culture: Methods and Protocols serves as a practical guide for scientists of all backgrounds and aims to convey the appropriate sense of fascination associated with this research field.

In this book we have taken a comprehensive look at the subject of familial and hereditary gastric tumors. In particular, the aim of this novel editorial work is to propose the correct management of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer patients, focusing in particular on E-cadherin germline mutations, clinical criteria definition, genetic screening and molecular mechanisms, pathology and microscopic features, surgical treatment and clinical approach for asymptomatic mutation carriers. We also describe other inherited predispositions involving gastric carcinoma.

Population studies and epidemiology facilitate the discovery of genetic and environmental determinants of cancer and the development of new approaches to cancer control and prevention, therefore they play a central role in the creation of health policies. Cancer Epidemiology compiles areas of research which cover etiological factors or determinants that contribute to the development of cancer and describe the the latest technologies in cancer epidemiology. In Volume 2, Modifiable Factors, leading experts provide chapters on modifiable factors in cancer epidemiology, epidemiology of organ specific cancer, and environmental and life style factors. Although a non-standard volume of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series, this comprehensive text retains the commitment of the series to collecting the kind of detailed, up-to-date information and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results. Cutting-edge and essential, Cancer Epidemiology allows readers to get the maximum advantage of the methods involved in this exciting and important field.

DNA and RNA fractions have been isolated from the whole blood, serum, plasma, the surface of blood cells, urine, saliva and spinal fluid from both healthy individuals and clinical patients. Recent developments are presented concerning the isolation, quantification and analysis of these molecules and their use in the identification of specific nucleic acid fragments related to a variety of clinical disorders thereby permitting their early diagnosis and prognosis.

Prostate Cancer: Biology, Genetics, and the New Therapeutics, Second Edition, reviews new, valuable approaches to the treatment of prostate cancer in men. The latest edition contains new material on molecular imaging, new treatments for prostate cancer, molecular targets, cell signaling pathways, bioinformatics, and pathogenomics. The book details the latest innovations and advances in prostate cancer and may be used as a rapid reference text for readers.

The volume profiles the latest advances in cancer research and treatment and includes profound studies in prostate stem cells, cancer-host interactions, hedgehog signaling in development and cancer, cholesterol and cell signaling, gene therapy for advanced prostate cancer, and noninvasive strategies such as molecular imaging to visualize gene expression. This new edition also investigates expression profiling and somatic alterations in prostate cancer progression and linkage studies of prostate cancer families to identify susceptibility genes. The issues of racial differences in prostate cancer mortality, radiotherapy for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer, recombinant antibody candidates for treatment, taxane-based chemotherapy, lethal phenotypes, and novel and efficient translation clinical trials are also presented in great depth.

Prostate Cancer: Biology, Genetics, and the New Therapeutics, Second Edition, provides readers with a general reference for prostate cancer from prevention to therapy and will be of value to clinicians, scientists, and administrators who strive to solve the cancer problem.

The imbalance between rapidly proliferating tumor cells and inadequate and inefficient tumor vasculature leads to a decrease in oxygen levels (hypoxia and/or anoxia) in tumor tissues. Intra-tumor hypoxia profoundly affects the biological behavior of cancer cells, which become resistant to conventional therapies and acquire a more invasive and metastatic phenotype.Hypoxia is a hallmark of the malignant phenotype and a key feature of the tumor microenvironment. Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1 (HIF-1) is a master regulator of the transcriptional response to oxygen deprivation.HIF triggers the expression of genes whose products induce angiogenesis, decrease oxygen consumption, switch metabolism to glycolysis, maintain a stem cell phenotype and select for more invasive and metastatic cells. Therapeutic approaches targeting HIF, directly or downstream mediators of its transcriptional activity, are being developed. Intra-tumor hypoxia is atopic hasbeen gaining scientific interestover the last few years for its wide involvement in many physiological and pathological processes.
This volume will cover the latest research and translational aspects associated with intra-tumor hypoxia, along with opportunities for drug development offered by this unique feature of the tumor microenvironment. The ongoing efforts to translate our understanding of the biology underlying intra-tumor hypoxia in viable therapeutic options face many challenges, but this book will provide an opportunity for an in-depth analysis of the fundamental mechanisms implicated in the adaption to low oxygen levels and will scrutinize the potential for opportunities that are being pursued in both research and the drug development industry."

This comprehensive and easy-to-read monograph is an authoritative update on clinical prostate cancer. It has been prepared by an international, multidisciplinary team at the invitation of the International Prostate Health Council think tank. A particular strength of the book is its presentation of the therapeutic options for patients with localized and advanced disease, including hormonal treatment.

The book focuses on the understanding of molecular pathways by which normal cell progress to the definable stage of cancer. The chapters explore microbiota and chronic inflammation, multiple myeloma chemoprevention, microRNAs, cancer regulation, liquid biopsies, and angiogenesis. Recent advances of molecular risk assessment, tumor microenvironment, microneoplasia, malignant gene expressions are highlighted to provide a means and design of future cancer prevention strategies and challenges thereupon. The volume also explores various receptor drugs that are in development process with the emphasis of inhibitors used to prevent malignant gene expression. The book bridges the gap between basic science and clinical application of current knowledge of cancer and emphasizes that tumor progression and cancer metastasis are not random - treatments and cure are logical and eventual. Expertly authored and drawing from a wealth of international perspectives, Molecular Targets and Strategies in Cancer Prevention is invaluable reading for clinicians and researchers in the fields of oncology and molecular biology.

In this volume, the specific challenges and problems facing the evaluation of new oncology agents are explored with regards to pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic modeling and clinical pharmacology development strategies. This book delivers, with an emphasis on the oncology therapeutic area, the goals set in the first three volumes: namely - to provide clinical pharmacologists practical insights for the application of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for new drug development strategies. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic concepts for tyrosine kinases, the evaluation of cardiac repolarization prolongation through QTc interval effects, efficacy- and safety-response analyses to support new drug approvals, clinical and preclinical tumor growth modeling, and flat- vs weight-based dose selection are showcased from an oncology clinical pharmacologist's point-of-view. Oncology development strategies are surveyed for new FDA-approvals to identify patterns in expectations at time of first approval. The special considerations necessary to address combination drug development, metronomics, biosimilars and breakthrough therapies are also presented.

This book provides readers an extensive overview of recent progress in basic and clinical research on cancer immunotherapy. Thanks to rapid advances in molecular biology and immunology, it has become increasingly evident that cancer growth is influenced by host immune responses. With the success of a number of clinical trials, immunotherapy has become a promising treatment modality of cancer. This book covers five major topics, including monoclonal antibodies, biological response modifiers, cancer vaccines, adoptive cellular therapy and oncolytic viruses. It also examines the combination of different immune strategies as well as the combination of immunotherapy with other treatments to increase anti-tumor effects. Through the comprehensive discussion of the topic, the book sheds valuable new light on the treatment of tumors.

This volume focuses on defining the unique attributes of using the zebrafish cancer model for discovering important pathways and potential drug targets for the treatment of human cancers. Using the zebrafish model, the volume explores oncogene and tumor suppressor discovery, chemical genetic approaches, genomics, epigenetics, cancer imaging, and cell transplantation. Contributed chapters come from the most prominent laboratories working in this field, which provides a unique perspective on zebrafish models from a wide spectrum of the research community. In addition, the book offers a detailed analysis of the most current research in the area for specific zebrafish cancer models, including T cell leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma, liver and pancreatic cancer, melanoma, neuroblastoma, germ cell tumors, and malignant peripheral sheath tumors. A chapter is also dedicated to the development and utilization of other piscine models of cancer. The compilation of chapters in the volume culminates into a comprehensive and definitive text on zebrafish and cancer, providing a much needed resource on the powerful attributes of the zebrafish model system.

This volume explores the mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapeutics. The focus is on the cancer cell signaling network, although other mechanisms of resistance including target mutation, and new areas of study such as cancer stem cells are included. Targeted Therapies: Mechanisms of Resistance highlights examples of changes in the signaling network in response to inhibition of a signaling event and underscores the importance in having a mechanistic understanding of the signaling network in cancer for developing effective targeted cancer therapies. Moreover, cutting edge tools to analyze the cell signaling network will be discussed. This includes the leading edge of techniques as well as computational biology and systems theory. This volume provides the reader with both an overview as well as a detailed perspective on the mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapeutics and will be of great value to the oncologist, the physician-scientist treating patients and the translational scientist working on any aspect of targeted therapeutics.

The Advances in Cancer Research series provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. This volume presents outstanding and original reviews on a variety of topics including RUNX Genes in Development and Cancer; The RNA Continent; The c-myc Promoter; Designer Self-Assembling Peptide Nanofiber Scaffolds for Study of 3-D Cell Biology and Beyond; and Dendritic Cells in Cancer. Immunotherapy

This book discusses the molecular, biological, pathological, and clinical aspects of melanoma, with special emphasis in the new concepts of melanoma genetics. A multidisciplinary group of experts in Genetics, Dermatology, Pathology, and Melanoma Medical Oncology contribute state-of-the-art knowledge in melanoma research and clinical management, not only exposing the current status of knowledge of the topics but also providing their personal experiences and ideas about the future and potential practical application of the genetic aspects of melanoma. During the last few years we have witnessed an impressive amount of discoveries in the field of melanoma genetics which have changed our approach in understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of this lethal disease. Genetics of Melanoma is a practical approach to melanoma genetic mechanisms and their application in the diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy. It is an essential source of updated information and a powerful tool for clinicians, pathologists, and basic scientists who wish to understand, apply, and investigate the multiple new aspects of melanoma genetics.

With cancer-related deaths projected to rise to 10.3 million people by 2020, the need to prevent, diagnose, and cure cancer is greater than ever. This book presents readers with the most up-to-date imaging instrumentation, general and diagnostic applications for various cancers, with an emphasis on lung and breast carcinomas--the two major worldwide malignancy types. This book discusses the various imaging techniques used to locate and diagnose tumors, including ultrasound, X-ray, color Doppler sonography, PET, CT, PET/CT, MRI, SPECT, diffusion tensor imaging, dynamic infrared imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It also details strategies for imaging cancer, emphasizing the importance of the use of this technology for clinical diagnosis. Imaging techniques that predict the malignant potential of cancers, response to chemotherapy and other treatments, recurrence, and prognosis are also detailed.
Concentrates on the application of imaging technology to the diagnosis and prognosis of lung and breast carcinomas, the two major worldwide malignancies
Addresses the relationship between radiation dose and image quality
Discusses the role of molecular imaging in identifying changes for the emergence and progression of cancer at the cellular and/or molecular levels"

Sphingolipids are lipid components of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells. They have an important function in signaling mechanisms in the cell. This book on sphingolipids provides insights into the basics of sphingolipid biology and drug development, with a particular emphasis on the sphingolipid derivative ceramide. In the first part basic functions of sphingolipids are described, as well as the genetics of important enzymes, sphingolipid metabolism and synthesis. The second part of this first volume focuses on drug development and pharmacology. The book is intended for scientists in pharmacology, biochemistry and cell biology with a focus on biomedical research as well as for clinicians working in pharmacology, oncology, cardiology, neurology and infectious disease. Together with Volume 216 by the same editors, the collection represents a unique, comprehensive work on sphingolipids, providing information on both sphingolipids basic biology (including synthesis, metabolism and cell biology) and their important function in a (patho-)physiological context."

High-fidelity chromosomal DNA replication underpins all life on the planet. In humans, there are clear links between chromosome replication defects and genome instability, genetic disease and cancer, making a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms of genome duplication vital for future advances in diagnosis and treatment. Building on recent exciting advances in protein structure determination, the book will take the reader on a guided journey through the intricate molecular machinery of eukaryotic chromosome replication and provide an invaluable source of information, ideas and inspiration for all those with an interest in chromosome replication, whether from a basic science, translational biology and medical research perspective.

While many comprehensive texts have been written on the treatment of breast cancer, the most common cancer among women, there are relatively few which cover in depth the prevention and early detection of the disease. The goal of this work is to present what experts in the ?eld feel is the current knowledge and future direction of breast cancer prevention and early detection. We begin Part I of the book with a review of risk factors, both genetic and environmental. We next review progress in the use of chemoprevention. Notably, chemoprevention risk reduction studies have led to FDA approval of two medications which measurably reduce disease incidence among women at increased risk, although with some risk of treatment related side effects. Newer agents in the pipeline, which may also reduce risk among normal risk women, are also discussed. Surgical risk reducing strategies complete the section on prevention, including both the bene?ts and downsides to this more aggressive approach. Even with aggressive prevention strategies, some women will develop breast cancer. For these women, early detection is critical to minimize disease spread and maximize long term survival. Part II of this book reviews current and upcoming approaches to early detection. Imaging strategies, including mammography, breast ultrasound, MRI, and PET imaging are reviewed. The potential for molecular tumor targeting to detect disease prior to the formation of a mass visible by anatomic imaging is presented.

The future of oncology seems to lie in Molecular Medicine (MM). MM is a new science based on three pillars. Two of them are evident in its very name and are well known: medical science and molecular biology. However, there is a general unawareness that MM is firmly based on a third, and equally important, pillar: Systems Biomedicine. Currently, this term denotes multilevel, hierarchical models integrating key factors at the molecular, cellular, tissue, through phenotype levels, analyzed to reveal the global behavior of the biological process under consideration. It becomes increasingly evident that the tools to construct such complex models include, not only bioinformatics and modern applied statistics, as is unanimously agreed, but also other interdisciplinary fields of science, notably, Mathematical Oncology, Systems Biology and Theoretical Biophysics.

In Apoptosis and Cancer: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition, expert researches in the field detail the performance of molecular and cellular biology techniques for studying and detecting the activation of the apoptotic pathway. Chapters focus on assays developed to detect its activation not only in vitro but also in vivo, optimized multiplex analysis, medium- to high-throughput screens, and the cellular process. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Apoptosis and Cancer: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition aids scientists as a stand-alone resource for the execution and analysis of the described protocols and as a reference for the study and detection of apoptosis within and outside the area of cancer research.