This book is the first to focus specifically on cancer nanotheranostics. Each of the chapters that make up this comprehensive volume is authored by a researcher, clinician, or regulatory agency member known for their expertise in this field. Theranostics, the technology to simultaneously diagnose and treat a disease, is a nascent field that is growing rapidly in this era of personalized medicine. As the need for cost-effective disease diagnosis grows, drug delivery systems that can act as multifunctional carriers for imaging contrast and therapy agents could provide unique breakthroughs in oncology. Nanotechnology has enabled the development of smart theranostic platforms that can concurrently diagnose disease, start primary treatment, monitor response and initiate secondary treatments if required. In oncology, chemotherapeutics have been routinely used. Some drugs have proven effective but all carry risks of adverse side effects. There is growing interest in using remotely triggered drug delivery systems to limit cytotoxicity in the diseased area. This book reviews the use of theranostic nanoparticles for cancer applications over the past decade. First, it briefly discusses the challenges and limitations of conventional cancer treatments, and presents an overview of the use of nanotechnology in treating cancer. These introductory chapters are followed by those exploring cancer diagnosis and a myriad of delivery methods for nanotherapeutics. The book also addresses multifunctional platforms, treatment monitoring, and regulatory considerations. As a whole, the book aims to briefly summarize the development and clinical potential of various nanotheranostics for cancer applications, and to delineate the challenges that must be overcome for successful clinical development and implementation of such cancer theranostics.

This issue of Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America, guest edited by Dr. Cathy Eng, is devoted to Anal Canal Cancers. Dr. Eng has assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Epidemiology of Anal Canal Cancers; Management of Anal Dysplasia; Diagnosis and Diagnostic Imaging of Anal Canal Cancers; Pathology of Anal Canal Cancers; Treatment of the Primary Tumor in Anal Canal Cancers; Acute and Chronic Toxicities of Radiation Therapy for Anal Canal Cancers; Locally Recurrent Disease Related to Anal Canal Cancers; Surveillance of Anal Canal Cancers; Metastatic Anal Cancer and Novel Agents; Treatment of Oligometastatic Disease; Unusual Anal Cancers: Melanoma and Carcinoid; Patient Perspective and Personal Journey of Treating a "Rare Cancer"; HIV/AIDS, HPV, and Anal Cancer; Pathology of Anal Cancer, and more!

This volume gives a state-of-the-art overview on macrophage functions in various invertebrate and vertebrate systems and diseases. It also covers various aspects of macrophage development and formation, behavior and response to nano- and biomaterials, the latter of which have become very important components of modern medicine. Macrophages are evolutionarily conserved phagocytotic cells. In recent years macrophages have emerged as one of the most versatile cells of immune system, which, depending on the milieu and circumstance, participate in development or inhibition of cancer, regeneration, wound healing, inflammation, organ rejection and interaction between mother and a fetus. This book will be of particular interest to researchers working in immunology, cancer research, developmental biology, or related fields.

This book describes the most important techniques used for studying cfDNA in the different samples; serum, plasma, urine. Chapters detail methods on liquid biopsy for cancer disease, methods in cancer, epigenetic modifications, fetal and pediatric diseases, physical activity, and urinary cell free DNA. 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 tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Cell-Free DNA as Diagnostic Markers: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

This book presents a systematic overview of the most relevant nanomaterials and their respective intrinsic properties that have been highly explored by the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies in several different modalities for cancer therapy and bioimaging. The chapters explore the synergistic effects provided by the different nanostructured materials and highlight the main in vitro and in vivo therapeutic achievements on cancer. This work also provides relevant discussion about the recent progresses and future challenges that nanotechnology faces on the conception of more efficient nanoformulations against primary tumors, circulating cancer cells and metastases.

This astute volume brings together the latest expert research on adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACPs). ACPs are histologically benign but clinically aggressive tumors exhibiting a high propensity for local invasion into the hypothalamus, optic and vascular structures. These tumors, as well as the current treatments, may result in pan-hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, morbid obesity followed by type II diabetes mellitus, blindness, as well as serious behavioral and psychosocial impairments. Exploring in detail advances in both the understanding of tumor biology as well as clinical advances in patient management are explored in detail, this book will also look towards potential new treatment approaches. Basic Research and Clinical Aspects of Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma is the first book compiling all current research on ACPs. Mouse and human studies have unequivocally demonstrated that mutations in CTNNB1 encoding -catenin underlie the etiology of the majority, if not all ACP tumors. Genetic studies in mice have shown that ACPs are tumors of the pituitary gland and not of the hypothalamus as previously thought, and are derived from Rathke's pouch precursors. In addition, a role for tissue-specific adult pituitary stem cells has been revealed as causative of ACP. Together, these studies have provided novel insights into the molecular and cellular etiology as well as the pathogenesis of human ACP. Finally, this volume covers new treatment approaches that have been shown to be effective both in reducing ACP burden as well as reducing the morbidity associated with therapy.

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics will cover aggressive B-Cell Lymphoma and articles to be included are: State of the art therapy for advanced stage DLBCL; DLBCL: Should limited stage patients be treated differently; Role of PET in DLBCL; Management of relapsed DLBCL; The spectrum of double-hit lymphoma; Optimizing outcomes in primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma; The grey zone of unclassifiable lymphomas; as well as many more.

This issue of Surgical Clinics of North America, guest edited by Dr. Jeffrey M. Hardacre, is devoted to Pancreatic Cancer and Periampullary Neoplasms. He has assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Genetics of Pancreatic Cancer and its Implication on Therapy; Familial Pancreatic Cancer and Screening of High-risk Individuals; Imaging Evaluation of Pancreatic Cancer; Endoscopic Evaluation in the Work-up of Pancreatic Cancer; Definition and Management of Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer; Techniques of Vascular Resection and Reconstruction in Pancreatic Cancer Surgery; Surgical Therapy for Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer; Post-Pancreatectomy Complications and Management; Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer; Management of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer; Management of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer; Management of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors; Management of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms; Palliative Care and Surgery in Pancreatic Cancer; Enhanced Recovery Pathways in Pancreatic Cancer; and more!

The book conveys a comprehensive knowledge of long and short ncRNAs in cancer regulation and their potentials as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Topics covered include the molecular mechanisms of various classes of ncRNAs (with emphasis on long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs) in cancer, the functional roles of ncRNAs in regulating different cancer hallmarks (including proliferation, apoptosis, stem-cell properties, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metabolism, angiogenesis, tumor-host interactions and therapeutic resistance), the role of ncRNAs in regulating cancer signaling circuitry programs (highlighting their involvement in c-myc, p53 and NFkB signaling), a systemic summary of clinical and preclinical studies that evaluate the potential of ncRNA signatures for cancer diagnosis and prognosis and strategies to delivery short ncRNAs as therapeutic molecules for cancer treatment. This book may serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers, graduate students and oncologists in ncRNA and cancer research and help drug development by identifying ncRNA targets.

Gynecologic malignancies, especially endometrial and ovarian cancers are among the most important and most severely affected by obesity. This volume of Energy Balance and Cancer, written by the world's leading experts in this field, is arranged to provide a transdisciplinary assessment of the pertinent issues, results of relevant research on mechanisms, and control, strategies for dealing with affected patients and improving outcomes and future research needs. The volume comprehensively covers the epidemiology linking obesity to endometrial and ovarian cancer as well as the public awareness of this critical problem. Subsequent chapters explain biologic aspects of linkages between energy balance and gynecologic malignancies. The volume further outlines strategies to disrupt the linkage between obesity and gynecologic malignancies and concludes with a series of chapters focused on management strategies for obese patients with gynecologic malignancies. This volume provides a valuable resource for all physicians, scientists and other transdisciplinary investigators and practitioners interested and involved in energy balance and cancer. It should be a particularly useful guide to optimize outcomes for all practitioners dealing with patients with gynecologic malignancies challenged by energy balance issues. Moreover, it should serve as a useful guide to students and investigators interested in conducting further research on defining and disrupting the important linkage between energy balance and gynecologic malignancies.

This issue of Neuroimaging Clinics of North America focuses on Adult Brain Tumors, and is edited by Dr. Lara Brandao. Articles will include: Posterior Fossa Tumors in Adult Patients; Lymphomas and Adult Brain Tumors; Pre-Treatment Evaluation of Gliomas; Post Treatment Evaluation of Gliomas; Metastasis in Adult Brain Tumors; Extraparenchymal Lesions in Adult Brain Tumors; Interesting Case Studies in Adult Brain Tumors; Advanced MR Imaging Techniques in Daily Practice; and more!

This book evaluates new data on diet and cancer and uses it to update the dietary guidelines produced by ECP and IUNS in 1985. It is the proceedings of the 9th Annual Symposium of the European Organization for Cooperation in Cancer Prevention Studies held in Madrid during October, 1991. The first section updates general background material (dietary carcinogens, animal studies etc.), the second concerns diet and cancer at specific sites and also specific nutrients in human cancer. The third section addresses problems with guidelines per se, and the fourth the Mediterranean diet in relation to cancer. These chapters, together with the general conclusions reached in a parallel workshop, represent a state-of-the-art review of the current status of diet and cancer and also provide the background to the conclusions that guidelines as formulated in 1985 can no longer be sustained and that they need to be replaced by guidelines that (a) concern food groups instead of nutrients and (b) are targetted at particular groups rather than the population in general.

This issue of Surgical Clinics of North America, guest edited by Drs. Jeffrey M. Farma and Andrea Porpiglia, is devoted to Sarcoma. They have assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Epidemiology and Etiology of Sarcomas; Management of Extremity Sarcomas; Management of Retroperitoneal Sarcomas; Management of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans; Management of Desmoids; Management of Truncal Sarcomas; Management of Bone Sarcomas; Management of Pediatric Sarcomas; Local Recurrence of Sarcomas; Management of Metastatic Disease; Imaging of Sarcomas; Management of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors; Management of Breast Sarcoma; Chemotherapy for Sarcomas; Pathology and Classification of Sarcomas; Radiation Therapy for Sarcomas; and more!

Childhood acute leukemias are one of the main causes of death in children aged 1 to 14 years in some countries; and unfortunately, we have been unable to prevent it. Certainly, a good parcel of it is due to the poor understanding about its etiology. This book aims to describe the most important theories and hypothesis regarding childhood acute leukemia. Written by the most outstanding researchers in the field, this book intends to contribute to a greater understanding of the etiology of this disease. It goes beyond the simple and common analysis of risk factors, which hardly allows us to draw definite conclusions. By addressing the etiology of the disease, discussing from molecular biology until epidemiology and clinical manifestations, this book will guide present and future approaches, contributing for a better clinical management of leukemia in children. The knowledge regarding etiology is a crucial step for a better evaluation, prevention and treatment of a disease. Thus, this book finally intends to provide such knowledge, allowing physicians and practitioners to a better manage of childhood acute leukemias.

This issue of Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America, guest edited by Dr. Chandrajit P. Raut, is devoted to Sarcomas. Dr. Raut has assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Sarcoma: Histologic Subtypes and Changes in the Recent WHO Classification; Distinguishing Radiologic Characteristics of Sarcoma Histologic Subtypes; Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Tailoring Resection to Histologic Subtype; Retroperitoneal Sarcoma: Fact, Opinion, and Controversy; Breast Sarcoma; Management of Sarcoma Metastases to the Lung; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor; Liposarcoma: Surgical Management and Future Targeted Therapy; Myxofibrosarcoma; Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor; Desmoid Fibromatosis: Evolving Treatment Standards; Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans: Surgery v. Mohs; Radiation Therapy: Indications and Controversies for Neoadjuvant Therapy, Adjuvant Therapy, IORT, and Brachytherapy; Chemotherapy: Does Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Therapy Improve Outcomes?; and more!

After nearly three decades of providing medical care for women and men facing breast cancer, surgeon S. David Nathanson calls the survival rates today an ordinary miracle. Ordinary because the vast majority of patients now do live at least 20 years after diagnosis due to enormous progress that has been made in medicine; and a miracle too because of the intangible qualities such as faith and hope that seem key to success in battling the disease. In this book, survivors describe their experiences, emotions, and means to overcome the disease. S. David Nathanson is an esteemed, longtime surgeon who calls the survival rates today for women and men facing breast cancer nothing short of an ordinary miracle. Ordinary because the vast majority of patients live at least two decades after diagnosis, due to great advances that have been made in early detection, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. But also a miracle because we know that key elements for a woman or man succeeding in a personal battle against breast cancer include completely intangible qualities of courage, fortitude, trust, persistence, faith, and hope. Although science cannot completely explain it, a supportive network of family and friends with those qualities also empower patient survival and recovery. In these pages, Nathanson shares stories from his patients, teaching us about the experience of breast cancer and explaining how they found and fueled the will and power to defeat the disease. Even surgeon Nathanson himself cannot fully describe what goes through the hearts and minds of breast cancer patients as they discover, deal with, and finally triumph over the diagnosis. So in this book he acts as a narrator, letting his ordinary yet miraculous cancer survivors tell their stories, certainly filled with fear of the known and unknown, and with pain, but opening up to courage, love, sometimes humor, and finally hope. It is hope that firms up their resilience; hope that initiates their fortitude. Hope is an important component of healing, says the surgeon. Seventy-one survivors, including one man, tell their stories to ilustrate every step of the experience.

This volume will describe recent progress and future directions in radiation oncology and biology research, focusing on strategies designed to improve disease control and reduce the risk of long-term adverse effects on patients. As more and more patients are becoming long-term survivors, this strategy will become increasingly important--in radiation oncology and throughout the field of oncology.

In 1950, a diagnosis of cancer was all but a death sentence. Mortality rates only got worse, and as late as 1986, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine lamented: We are losing the war against cancer." Cancer is one of humankind's oldest and most persistent enemies it has been called the existential disease.But we are now entering a new, and more positive, phase in this long campaign. While cancer has not been cured,and a cure may elude us for a long time yet,there has been a revolution in our understanding of its nature. Years of brilliant science have revealed how this individualistic disease seizes control of the foundations of life,our genes,and produces guerrilla cells that can attack and elude treatments. Armed with those insights, scientists have been developing more effective weapons and producing better outcomes for patients. Paul A. Marks, MD, has been a leader in these efforts to finally control this devastating disease.Marks helped establish the strategy for the war on cancer" in 1971 as a researcher and member of President Nixon's cancer panel. As the president and chief executive officer for nineteen years at the world's pre-eminent cancer hospital, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer centre, he was instrumental in ending the years of futility. He also developed better therapies that promise a new era of cancer containment. Some cancers, like childhood leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, that were once deadly conditions, are now survivable,even curable. New steps in prevention and early diagnosis are giving patients even more hope. On the Cancer Frontier is Marks' account of the transformation in our understanding of cancer and why there is growing optimism in our ability to stop it.

This book approaches the differential diagnosis and management of rare, hereditary cancer syndromes from a practical angle, addressing the issues pertinent to each tumour type as encountered by health professionals in their day-to-day practice. This book enables readers to correctly identify patients with rare cancer syndromes who would benefit from genetic counselling and testing, and provides the necessary knowledge for appropriate patient management and advising at-risk family members. It begins by describing recent advances in genetic testing for cancer-predisposing genes. Leading experts from Europe and Australia then offer detailed, up-to-date guidance on the diagnosis and management of a wide range of hereditary cancers. The concluding chapter examines the wider issues that are raised by genetic testing for rare cancer syndromes for patients, families and health professionals. This book is an invaluable source of information for all specialists involved in the care of such patients and their families.

The volume will serve as a primer on tyrosine kinase signaling and its importance in cancer. The volume will first introduce the common denominators of small-molecule and antibody-derived inhibitors, as well as the general phenomenon of resistance. The volume will then detail resistance to the most commonly used classes of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and will focus specific chapters on resistance to BCR-ABL1, FLT3, angiokinase family members, and ALK inhibitors.

Michael Sand gives the reader an overview of current techniques in expression profiling of miRNAs and their maturation machinery in the skin. This book is a postdoctoral thesis on miRNAs in cutaneous malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer with a focus on the miRNA processing machinery and miRNA expression profiling. The research presented in this book was performed in the Dermatologic Surgery Section at the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology of the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany and gives the reader an overview of current techniques in expression profiling of miRNAs and their maturation machinery in the skin.

This issue of Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America, guest edited by Dr. Mark Krasna, is devoted to Lung Cancer. Dr. Krasna has assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Epidemiology for Lung Cancer; Screening for Lung Cancer; Pathology for Lung Cancer; Treatment of Patients with Oligometastatic Disease for NSCLC; SBRT/Ablative Therapies for NSCLC; Mediastinal Staging for Lung Cancer; VATS Lobectomy for NSCLC; Robotic Lung Resection for NSCLC; Pneumonectomy for NSCLC; Bronchoscopy-Diagnostic and Therapeutic for NSCLC; Neoadjuvant Therapy for Lung Cancer; Molecular/Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer; Adjuvant Therapy for Stage 1and 2 NSCLC, and more!

Nuclear Oncogenes as Transcription Factors.- Control of Hepatocyte Growth by Positive and Negative Growth Regulators and Mitogenic Triggers: Implications for Hepatic Neoplasia.- Cell Cycle Dependent Regulation of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Gene Expression.- Different Expression of Cell Cycle Related Genes During Liver Regeneration and Liver Hyperplasia.- S-Adenosylmethionine Content, DNA Methylation and Gene Expression in Regenerating Liver.- Gene Activation and Deactivation During Multistage Hepatocarcinogenesis in the Rat.- Biochemical and Molecular Perturbations Induced in Preneoplastic Tissue by a S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine Load.- Alterations of Cell Surface Receptors and Expression of Cellular Oncogenes in the Liver of Rats Fed a Hypolipidemic Peroxisome Proliferator.- Growth Hormone-Regulated Expression of c-myc Gene During sex-Differentiated Promotion of Rat Liver Carcinogenesis.- In Situ Hybridization of Ha-Ras During Rat Liver Carcinogenesis.- Mutations in the H-Ras Proto-Oncogene in Early Precancerous Liver Lesions of the B6C3F1 Mouse.- Transformation of Human Epithelial Cells by Recombinant Human Papillomavirus DNA Associated with Cervical Cancer.- Cancer Families and Susceptibility to Cancer.- Cancer Syndromes in Humans.- Case-Control Studies on Cancer Risk in G6PD-Deficient Male Populations.- Genetic Susceptibility to Murine Hepatocarcinogenesis.- MHC-Linked Genes Controlling Growth and Reproduction Influence the Susceptibility to Diethylnitrosamine-Induced Carcinogenesis.- Metabolic Aberrations and Metamorphosis During Chemical Carcinogenesis.- Persistent Rat Liver Nodules Differ from Normal Liver, Regenerating Liver and Early Nodules both in Terms of Proteins of the Nuclear Matrix and Chromatin Condensation.- Intracellular Na+, K+, H+ and Cl? Activities and Membrane Potentials During the 4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene-Induced Rat Hepatocarcinogenesis.- Analysis of the Effects of Modifying Agents on Proliferation and Enzyme Phenotype in Focal Preneoplastic and Neoplastic Liver Lesions in Rats.- Epidermal Growth Factor-Induced Cell Proliferation and EGF Binding in Preneoplastic Foci in The Rat Liver.- The Different Calcium Requirements of the Mitogenic Effects Elicited in Primary Neonatal Rat Hapatocytes by the Diterpene Phorbol Esters 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-Acetate and Sapintoxin A.- Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Molecular Forms in Different Experimental Models of Hepatic Cell Proliferation.- Estrogen Dependent Growth of a Rat Pituitary Tumor (MtT/F84).- Deterministic Coupling Between Cellular Bioenergetics, Cholesterol Synthesis, cell Proliferation and Cancer.- Dolichyl Phosphate as a Regulator of Cell Growth.- Regulation of Cholesterol Metabolism in Normal and Malignantly Transformed Tissue in Vivo.- Cholesterol Metabolism and Proliferative Processes.- Serum LCAT and Lipid Levels in grc-- Bearing Rats with Liver Cancer.- Covalent Modification of Proteins by Farnesol and the Control of Cell Proliferation.- Repeated Treatments with a Low HNE Concentration Affect K562 Cell Proliferation.- Arachidonic Acid Enrichment Augments the Malonildialdehyde Production in Yoshida AH-130 Hepatoma Cells.- Modulation of Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-Diphosphate (PIP2)-Phospholipase C Activity by 4-Hydroxyalkenals.- The Role of Hepatic Metabolism in Sex Differentiation of Chemical Hepatocarcinogenesis in the Rat.- Changes of Rat Liver Glutathione Peroxidase, Glutathione Reductase and Glutathione Transferase 7-7 by Lead Nitrate Treatment.- High Affinity P-450 Form for the Metabolic Activation of DEN in Liver of Acetone-Induced Rats but not of Hamsters.- Genotoxicity of Chloroethanes and Structure Activity Relationships.- Genetical and Biochemical Studies on Three Halogenated Ethanes.- "In Vivo" Interaction of Methionine and Cysteine Sulfur with Rat Liver tRNA.- Synthesis and Secretion of Cathepsin D in Normal And Tumor Human Cells.- Relationship Between Cell Proliferation and Cell Death.- An in Vitro Model for Apoptosis: Uptake a...