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.

In this issue of PET Clinics, guest editor Dr. Rathan M. Subramaniam brings his considerable expertise to the topic of Head and Neck Cancers. Top experts in the field provide important updates on planning, treatment, and individual head and neck cancers, with articles such as PET/CT: laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers; PET/CT: thyroid cancers; PET/CT: oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers; and more. Contains 10 relevant, practice-oriented topics including PET/CT: post-therapy follow-up in head and neck cancer; PET/CT: therapy response assessment in head and neck cancer; PET/CT: radiation therapy planning in head and neck cancer; PET/CT: nasopharyngeal cancers; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on head and neck cancers, 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.

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

Proton beam therapy is an emerging technology with promise of revolutionizing the treatment of cancer. While nearly half of all patients diagnosed with cancer in the US receive radiation therapy, the majority is delivered via electron accelerators, where photons are used to irradiate cancerous tissue. Because of the physical properties of photon beams, photons may deposit energy along their entire path length through the body. On the other hand, a protonbeamdirected ata tumor travels in a straight trajectory towards its target, gives off most of its energy at a defined depth called the Bragg peak, and then stops. While photons often deposit more energy within the healthy tissues of the body than within the cancer itself, protons can deposit most of their cancer-killing energy within the area of the tumor. As a result, in the properly selected patients, proton beam therapy has the ability to improve cure rates by increasing the dose delivered to the tumor and simultaneously reduce side-effects by decreasing the dose to surrounding tissue. The benefits of proton beam therapy in delivering a lethal hit to the target while sparing surrounding normal tissues from radiation are becoming applicable to an increasing number of patients and a growing list of conditions. In this book, the author will guide the reader through existing evidence supporting proton beam therapy for pediatric cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, spinal tumors, and several other conditions. The book will discuss which conditions are suitable for treatment with proton beam therapy, how the treatment is delivered, and the current data supporting its use."

Multidrug-resistant bacteria play a significant role in public health by destroying the potency of existing antibiotics. Meanwhile, cancer remains one of the most common health problems that impact society, resulting in many deaths worldwide. Novel strategies are required to combat antimicrobial resistance and create efficient anticancer drugs that could revolutionize treatment. Nanomedicine is one such innovation that plays a significant role in developing alternative and more effective treatment strategies for antimicrobial resistance and cancer theranostics. The Handbook of Research on Nano-Strategies for Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance and Cancer is an essential scholarly resource that examines (1) how to overcome the existing, traditional approaches to combat antimicrobial resistance and cancer; (2) how to apply multiple mechanisms to target the cancer cells and microbes; and (3) how the nanomaterials can be used as carriers. Featuring a range of topics such as bacteriophage, nanomedicine, and oncology, this book is ideal for molecular biologists, microbiologists, nanotechnologists, academicians, chemists, pharmacists, oncologists, researchers, healthcare professionals, and students.

This issue of PET Clinics focuses on Total Body PET Imaging, and is edited by Drs. Lorenzo Nardo, Ramsey Badawi, Joel S. Karp and Austin Pantel. Articles will include: UC Davis update on the uEXPLORER; Zhongshan update on the uEXPLORER; UPenn update on the PennPET Explorer; Total body imaging instrumentation design considerations; 3D/4D reconstruction and quantitative total body imaging; Analysis of 4D data for total body imaging; Total body imaging and cancer; Total body imaging and metabolic disease; Total body imaging and infection; Total body imaging and musculoskeletal disease; Total body imaging and cardiovascular disease; Total body imaging and cardiac applications; Total body imaging and neuroimaging; and more!

On request, the IAEA performs comprehensive audits of radiotherapy programmes to assess the whole process, including aspects such as organization, infrastructure and clinical and medical physics components. The objective of a comprehensive clinical audit is to review and evaluate the quality of all components of the practice of radiotherapy at the institution, including its professional competence, with a view to quality improvement. A multidisciplinary team, known as Quality Assurance Team in Radiation Oncology (QUATRO), comprising a radiation oncologist, a medical physicist and a radiation therapist, are required to carry out the audit. The present publication provides revisions of the QUATRO guidelines published in 2007, by incorporating new procedures relevant to newer technologies and modalities that have become routinely used in radiotherapy centres in the interim period.