In 1971, J. Folkman published in the New England Journal of Medicine a hypothesis that tumor growth is angiogenesis-dependent. Folkman introduced the concept that tumors probably secrete diffusible molecules that could stimulate the growth of new blood vessels toward the tumor and that the resulting tumor neovascularization could conceivably be prevented or interrupted by angiogenesis inhibitors. Solid and haematological tumors consist of an avascular and a subsequent vascular phase. Assuming that this depends on the release of angiogenic factors, acquisition of angiogenic capability can be seen as an expression of progression from neoplastic transformation to tumor growth and metastasis.

Beginning in the 1980 s, the biopharmaceutical industry began exploiting the field of antiangiogenesis for creating new therapeutic compounds for modulating new blood vessels in tumor growth. In 2004, Avastin (Bevacizumab), a humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, was the first angiogenesis inhibitor approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of colorectal cancer. At present, it has been estimated that over 20,000 cancer patients worldwide have received experimental form of antiangiogenic therapy.

This book offers a historical account of the relevant literature. It also emphasizes the crucial and paradigmatic role of angiogenesis as a biological process and the significance of antiangiogenic approach for the treatment of tumors."

Creating clinical guidelines is a modern trend. Published studies pertaining to a given theme are collected, their credibility evaluated, and then treatment options in the form of evidence-based guidelines are offered. There are a number of guidelines for the treatment of thyroid tumors that have established positions in clinical practice in North America and in Western European countries. In Japan, however, where radioisotope facilities are of limited availability, treatment plans for differentiated thyroid cancer differ considerably from those of America and Europe, and the associated clinical guidelines need modification before they can be adopted. In addition, although thyroid tumor is a common disease in endocrine practice, its management can differ even among specialists. Thus, a Japanese clinical guideline for the treatment of thyroid tumor was desired by many clinicians. As a combination of evidence-based and consensus-based guidelines for the treatment of thyroid tumor, this book offers alternatives to conventional approaches in the West. Ultimately, the authors hope the guideline will lead to the best possible treatment for patients all over the world in the not-distant future.

Technical and Biological Components of Marrow Transplantation presents up to date information on the scientific and technological advances that will extend and improve the clinical application of bone marrow transplantation. The book includes the latest information on chronic myeloid leukemia and thalassemia; advances in supportive care: cytokines and progenitor expansion; and cord stem cell technology. Soon more of patients will receive marrow transplants as part of the therapy for solid tumors and metabolic disease than for the treatment of hematologic disease. The contributors to this volume describe some of these applications, hinting at yet further, exciting possibilities.

Melanoma is one of the most types of cancer. When melanoma is detected at an early stage, treatment is highly successful, but outcomes can be poor when the disease is advanced. There has been significant progress in our understanding of the molecular biology, genetics, and immunology of melanoma over the past decade. This has been accompanied by rapid advances in therapeutic strategies for patients with melanoma. This book provides the clinician and the researcher with a broad understanding of the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of melanoma, explores the clinical characteristics and criteria for clinical and pathological staging of the disease, and provides an overview of current and evolving treatment strategies in the adjuvant, metastatic, and preventive settings. The treatment of special populations and rare variants of melanoma that often present particular clinical challenges is also covered. Authored by international experts in melanoma biology and clinical management, this volume concisely explains how to diagnose, treat, and prevent melanoma while reviewing advances in basic science and providing an overview of innovative approaches still under development.

The hematopoietic system plays roles that are crucial for survival of the host: delivery of oxygen to tissues, arrest of accidental blood leaking from blood vessels, and fending off of invading microbes by humoral, cell-mediated, and phagocytic immunity. The activity of the hematopoietic system is staggering: daily, a normal adult produces approximately 2.5 billion erythrocytes, 2.5 billion platelets, and 1 billion granulocytes per kilogram of body weight. This production is adjusted in a timely fashion to changes in actual needs and can vary from nearly none to many times the normal rate depending on needs which vary from day to day, or even minute to minute. In response to a variety of stimuli, the cellular components of the blood are promptly increased or decreased in production to maintain appropriate numbers to optimally protect the host from hypoxia, infection, and hemorrhage. How does this all happen and happen without over or under responding? There has been extraordinary growth in our understanding ofhematopoiesis over the last two decades. Occupying center stage is the pluripotent stern cell and its progeny. Hematopoietic stern cells have been characterized by their capacity for self renewal and their ability to proliferate and differentiate along multiple lineages. Few in number, the stern cell gives rise to all circulating neutrophils, erythrocytes, lymphoid cells, and platelets. In hematopoietic transplantation, the stern cell is capable of restoring long-term hematopoiesis in a lethally irradiated host.

An in depth review of our latest understanding of the molecular events that regulate cell death and those molecules that provide targets for developing agonists or antagonists to modulate death signaling for therapeutic purposes. The authors focus on the extrinsic system of death receptors, their regulation and function, and their abnormalities in cancer. Topics of particular interest include resistance to apoptosis, TRAIL signaling, death receptors in embryonic development, mechanisms of caspase activation, and death receptor mutations in cancer. Additional chapters address death signaling in melanoma, synthetic retinoids and death receptors, the role of p53 in death receptor regulation, immune suppression of cancer, and combination therapy with death ligands.

Endocrine Neoplasia is a comprehensive, updated, and clearly-written text covering the diseases for which endocrine surgical expertise is often needed. We look towards advances in the science and the art of endocrine surgery to continuously improve outcomes for our patients. The goal of this text was to provide a detailed description of both the underlying science of disease as well as the art of clinical management.

The book is divided into five sections addressing neoplasms of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal gland, neuroendocrine pancreas, and multiple endocrine neoplasia. Experts from the United States, Canada, and Australia have contributed chapters addressing both the biology of endocrine tumors and the clinical management of disease. Recent discoveries regarding the genetic underpinnings of disease are highlighted. Updated consensus guidelines were used for clinical recommendations. The management of complex and often confusing clinical problems is discussed in detail.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system and is also the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. Sharing common characteristics of cancer, ovarian malignancy possess several clinical and biological particularities In "Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols," expert researchers in the field provide methods that have been created or adapted to study various aspects of ovarian cancer. These methods and techniques are applicable to study genetic alterations present in ovarian cancer, structural and metabolic features of ovarian cancer cells, include in vitro and in vivo models that recapitulate ovarian cancer development and progression, and describe ovarian cancer-oriented drug delivery approaches. Methodological chapters are grouped into seven thematic parts, any of them is introduced by short subject review. 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, " Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols" seeks to aid scientist to optimize study designs, to correctly select the most applicable methods, and to produce interesting and novel results."

Leading transplant physicians critically review and interpret twenty-one key clinical challenges in bone marrow/hematopoietic cell transplantation, and offer their best personal recommendations for treatment. Topics range from transplant strategies to complications of bone marrow transplantation, including a discussion of the indications, benefits, and the risks for a variety of leukemias, lymphomas, and solid tumors. The authors debate such contentious issues as the appropriateness of transplants in older patients, how many stem cells are sufficient for engraftment, and the pros and cons of umbilical cord blood transplantation. Up-to-date and clinically focused, Current Controversies in Bone Marrow Transplantation offers clinical oncologists, hematology/oncology fellows in training, and residents in internal medicine today's best ready reference and management guide for all their critical oncologic problems arising from the use of bone marrow/stem cell transplantation.

This book describes important developments and emerging trends in experimental and clinical cancer gene therapy. It reflects the tremendous advances made over recent years with respect to immunogenes, suicide genes and gene correction therapies, as well as in gene suppression and miRNA therapies. Many of the described strategies focus on the generation of more efficient and specific means of attack at known and novel cellular targets associated with tumor development and progression. The book also details parallel improvements in vector design, vector delivery, and therapeutic efficacy. It offers readers a stimulating, broad overview of advances in the field, linking experimental strategies to their clinical applications.

Since their first description in 1875, Merkel cells have remained an elusive cell type. Their origin as well as their classification as mechanoreceptors have been a matter of controversy and intense discussion. The peptidergic granules in these cells are suggestive of neuroendocrine functions, but their discovery has raised additional questions regarding Merkel cell function. Essential aspects of structure, development and function of normal Merkel cells and Merkel cell carcinoma are presented in short chapters, providing concise and up-to date information on this fascinating cell type.

This volume constitutes, in part, the proceedings of the Hong Kong Conference on "Eicosanoids and Other Bioactive Lipids in Cancer, Inflammation, and Radiation Injury" held in Hong Kong in October 1995. It contains papers by the symposium speakers, as well as poster contributions from researchers in this field. Since the discovery of "PROSTAGLANDIN-LIKE' substances 60 years ago. much has been learned. EICOSANOID is the new term that is used to include prostaglandins. thromboxanes, leukotrienes, lipoxins, isoprostanes, depoxilins, hydroxy acids, epoxy and hydroperoxy fatty acids. The conference focussed on recent development in underatanding the role of EICOSANOIDS in inflammation, cancer, and radiation damage. At the confer- ence, we also highlighted advances in newly developing areas such as "NO," "A POP- TOSIS and "ANANDAMIDE." The discovery of the structures of genes that encode several key enzymes and receptors of the Eicosanoid cascade, has allowed us to include reports in the "Alteration of the Gene Expression" section that reflects the most recent de- velopments in regulation for PGH-synthase and lipoxygenases. The editors are convinced that this volume will be an up-to-date and useful reference for investigators in both basic and clinical research.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females that accounts for highest cancer specific deaths worldwide. In the last few decades research has proven that breast cancer can be treated if diagnosed at early stages and proper therapeutic strategy is adopted. Omics-based recent approaches have unveiled the molecular mechanism behind the breast tumorigenesis and aid in identification of next-generation molecular markers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and even the effective targeted therapy. Significant development has taken place in the field of omics in breast cancer in the last decade. The most promising omics approaches and their outcomes in breast cancer have been presented in this book for the first time. The book covers omics technologies and budding fields such as breast cancer miRNA, lipidomics, epigenomics, proteomics, nutrigenomics, stem cell, pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine, and many more along with conventional topics such as breast cancer management etc. It is a research-based reference book useful for clinician-scientists, researchers, geneticists and health care industries involved in various aspects of breast cancer. The book will also be useful for students of biomedicine, pathology, and pharmacy.

A deeply moving story about the courage of a man diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma and his wife's realization that God's love was the one thing she could count on.

The discovery of microRNAs and its role as gene expression regulators in human carcinogenesis represents one of the most important scientific achievements of the last decade. More recently, other non-coding RNAs have been discovered and its implications in cancer are emerging as well, suggesting a broader than anticipated involvement of the non-coding genome in cancer. Moreover, completely new and unexpected functions for microRNAs are being revealed, leading to the identification of new anticancer molecular targets. This book represents a comprehensive guide on non-coding RNAs and cancer, spanning from its role as cancer biomarkers, to providing the most useful bioinformatic tools, to presenting some of the most relevant discoveries, which indicates how these fascinating molecules act as fine orchestrators of cancer biology.

Despite recent progress in many areas of treatment and control, cancer remains a frightening threat to everyone. While scientists have known for decades that the majority of human cancers are caused by environmental agents such as radiation and the chemicals in cigarette smoke, not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer. Furthermore, many people who assiduously avoid all possible risk from smoking, diet, and pollution still succumb to some form of cancer later in life. Does this mean that there is an element of blind chance in the underlying mechanisms of human carcinogenesis? To what extent do genetic influences play a role in determining the cancer risk of individuals? A number of `cancer families', in which several closely related individuals have suffered from various specific forms of cancer, have been studied by genetic epidemiologists. However, for the majority of cancer cases, little or no discernible genetic influence or family history is found. Recent research has discovered that for many of these `sporadic' (non-familial) cancer cases, defects or aberrations in certain metabolic genes not previously associated with genetic cancer risk may contribute to either causing the disease or at least increasing the chances of developing cancer. It is therefore possible that much of what has previously passed for `bad luck' may turn out to be a new type of `bad genes'. Genetic Susceptibility to Cancer explains that this new idea of `bad genes' may contain an unexpected positive side. The carcinogenic effects of these metabolic genes, unlike those of the oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that are responsible for the inherited cancer syndromes, can potentially be overcome or nullified. Genetic Susceptibility to Cancer will provide a valuable reference for health professionals, researchers, clinicians and biomedical scientists who are interested in the current thinking in this critically important area of cancer management.

This volume provides an interdisciplinary perspective of applying Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology to cancer research. It aims to systematically introduce the concept of NGS, a variety of NGS platforms and their practical implications in cancer biology.This unique and comprehensive text will integrate the unprecedented NGS technology into various cancer research projects as opposed to most books which offer a detailed description of the technology. This volume will present true experimental results with concrete data processing pipelines, discuss the bottleneck of each platform for real project in cancer research. In additional, single cancer cell sequencing as the proof of concept will be introduced in this book, along with cutting-edge information provided will help the intended audience to develop a comprehensive understanding of the NGS technology and practical whole genome sequencing data analysis and rapidly translate into their own research, specifically in the field of cancer biology.

This book covers all aspects of thyroid cancer. Heavily illustrated and including pathology, thyroid and whole-body scans, ultrasounds and other nuclear medicine and radiological studies, the book addresses important issues that physicians should cover when dealing with their patients.

The text is designed for physicians, endocrinologists, nuclear medicine physicians, general and head and neck surgeons, oncologists and radiation oncologists, and primary care doctors. Other groups are residents, medical students, and nurse practitioners researching a patient-related problem.

Leland H. Hartwell Director, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Nobel Laureate for Medicine, 2001 Yeast has proved to be the most useful single-celled organism for studying the fundamental aspects of cell biology. Resources are now available for yeast that greatly simplify and empower new investigations, like the presence of strains with each gene deleted, each protein tagged and databases on protein-protein interactions, gene regulation, and subcellular protein location. A powerful combination of genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry employed by thousands of yeast researchers has unraveled the complexities of numerous cellular processes from mitosis to secretion and even uncovered new insights into prion diseases and the role of prions in normal biology. These insights have proven, time and again, to foretell the roles of proteins and pathways in human cells. The collection of articles in this volume explores the use of yeast in pathway analysis and drug discovery. Yeast has, of course, supplied mankind's most ubiquitous drug for thousands of years. In one aspect, the role of yeast in drug discovery is much like the role of yeast in other areas of biology. Yeast offers the power of genetics and a repetoire of resources available in no other organism. Using yeast in the study of drug targets and metabolism can help to make a science of what has been largely an empirical activity. A science of drug discovery would permit rigorous answers to important questions.

Cancer is a complex disease. Only 5-10% of human cancers are hereditary in nature. Many of us think of environmental agents when we think of carcinogens. The environment includes all that surrounds us, and environmental influences include not only chemical, physical and biological toxicants, but also diet and lifestyle. In this broadest sense, the environment contributes substantially in the development of human cancer. This book will describe how environment contributes to malignant transformation leading to profound changes in the genetic and signaling networks that control the functioning of the cell. It will critically discuss the understanding of the effects of environment on the development, progression and metastasis of cancer with current knowledge of the signaling networks that support functioning of transformed human cells. Genes and environmental factors that influence the origins of cancer are not necessarily the same as those that contribute to its progression and metastasis. Susceptibility gene variants for each specific cancer are being identified with emerging evidence of gene environment interaction. Gene-environment interactions will be discussed through each specific cancer-based approach to address the question of how genetic variations can influence susceptibility to the individual type of cancer. It will also highlight and summarize epigenetic changes that increase the risk for susceptibility to a particular type of cancer, particularly in the presence of specific environmental factors. Thus, this book will contain chapters from the world s experts focused on the current evidences that support the role of environment in the cancer etiology and in the growth of malignant lesions, and discuss who may be susceptible to environmental influences."

Diverse molecular, cellular, and environmental events must all come together to allow the successful formation of secondary cancers, metastases. The second edition of Metastasis Research Protocols, brings together updated versions of the seminal technique that were presented in the first edition and also includes new techniques that have recently been shown to be important in illuminating the processes underlying this important area of biology. Volume 2 presents techniques applicable at the level of living cells and tissues, and presents methodologies applicable to cell behaviour in vitro, in animal models and in mathematical constructs. The aim is the study of the interaction between cancer cells and their host/environment. The focus throughout is on the tools that have been shown to be helpful in unravelling the processes important in cancer metastasis. 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, Metastasis Research Protocols, Second Edition seeks to aid scientists in the further study of new methods in the area of metastasis research.

This book provides a comprehensive coverage and a succinct overview of the current status of supportive cancer care with Chinese medicine written by leading experts in the field. The chapters coherently present an overview on the major treatment approaches of Chinese medicine and progresses made with different important aspects on supportive cancer care with acupuncture, herbal therapy and qigong. Moreover, there are reviews on the evidences and efficacies of Chinese medicine for controlling radiation-induced injuries, chemotherapy-related side effects, as well as pain control with Chinese medicine. In order to provide information from basic science at the bench to the patient's bedside, modern researches and clinical trials would be overviewed so as to give an up-to-date and realistic evaluation of a therapy's utility for cancer patients. It is also worth noting that toxicology, safety and herb-drug interactions are the main concerns of using Chinese medicine combined with western medicine. A chapter will expound on these issues and there will also be chapters discussing integrative Chinese and Western medicine, as well as cancer prevention with Chinese medicine. This book presents state-of-the-art knowledge on supportive cancer care with Chinese medicine, which will appeal to anyone involved in cancer care. This is a precious book for all types of readers, including but not limited to oncologists, cancer researchers, pharmacologists, pharmaceutical specialists, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Chinese medicine educators, medicine postgraduates and undergraduates, cancer caregivers, cancer survivors, and family members of cancer patients who want to expand their knowledge in supportive cancer care.