Tamoxifen has persisted as a widely accepted and administered drug for almost 25 years. Following the many scientific papers and books on the subject, it has remained a very intriguing substance. This, perhaps, is the reason for another monograph on Tamoxifen. It is regrettably true that overviews, even when up to date after exhaustive research - the shibboleth of our cultures -, rapidly lose relevance with the passage of time. Scientists can sometimes be pictured as deep sea divers, who plunge into the unknown in search of a hitherto unknown world. Their descent is exciting, but eventually they must come up for air and integrate their experiences with others who also had to resurface. This book intends to collect and, where possible, to collate recent, but sometimes seemingly unrelated information. To quote Stephane Mallarme: "Everything in the world exists to end up in a book." Even if this is a tad cynical, it might not be far from the truth. If a little knowledge is a dangerous commodity, one can also add - tongue in cheek - that a vast amount of knowledge can be truly hazardous. It is likely that what might seem as entangled data is confusing, especially for those satisfied with the comfortable interpretation of Tamoxifen as an antiestrogen which has long been found insufficient. The complexity of its mechanisms and effects defies simple explanations and may even seem capricious, but only because of our ignorance.

Nullius in verba. . . Truth will be tested not by words. Horace (Epistles) Few read introductions except for book reviewers, who want to take a shortcut and avoid reading the book itself. However, tradition requires that the preface make public why the book was written at all (this is not supposed to include powerful reasons such as augmenting the ego of the editor and authors). Frequently, the inflationary tendency to publish in verbose length is in conflict with market forces and interest. No doubt, multidrug resistance is a "fashionable" topic, but there are many fashions displayed on the cat-walk of scientific literature. One can rationalize that the forces driving our concern with multi drug resistance reflect the frustration of pharmaceutical companies and oncologists alike: as soon as a new anticancer drug enters clinical trials, cancer cells start eluding extinction with their elaborate and successful mechanisms. Many grants have been awarded and spent, only to confirm the futility of our efforts to defeat this cellular Darwinism. Our medical and scientific training makes it hard, if not impossible, to accept that the survival of a malignant cell, alone or as part of a tissue, is part of the continuance of life. Since exposure to noxious and lethal substances is unavoidable, cells have been forced to develop a multitude of mechanisms to prevent entry or accelerate exit of such materials from intracellular space.

Contents/Information: N.P. Johnson, J.-L. Butour, G. Villani, F.L. Wimmer, M. Defais, V. Pierson, Toulouse, France; V. Brabec, Kralovopolska, CSSR: "Metal Antitumor " "Compounds: The Mechanism of Action of Platinum Complexes " "Pertaining to the Design of Anticancer Agents"B.K. Keppler, M. Henn, U.M. Juhl, M.R. Berger, R. Niebl, Heidelberg; F.E. Wagner, Garching, FRG: "New Ruthenium Complexes for the " "Treatment of Cancer"G. Mestroni, E. Alessio, Trieste, M. Calligaris, Pavia, Italy; W.M. Attia, Ismailia, Egypt; F. Quadrifoglio, S. Cauci, Udine, Italy; G. Sava, S. Zorzet, S. Pacor, C. Monti-Bragadin, M. Tamaro, L. Dolzani, Trieste, Italy: "Chemical, Biological and Antitumor Properties of " "Ruthenium (II) Complexes with Dimethylsulfoxide"N. Farrell, Burlington/VT, USA: "Metal Complexes as Radiosensitizers"S.C. Srivastava, L.F. Mausner, M.J. Clarke, Upton/NY, and Chestnut Hill/MA, USA: "Radioruthenium-Labeled Compounds for " "Diagnostic Tumor Imaging"P. Kopf-Maier, Berlin, FRG: "The " "Antitumor Activity of Transition and Main-Group Metal " "Cyclopentadienyl Complexes"E.V. Scott, G. Zon, L.G. Marzilli, Atlanta/GA and Foster City/CA, USA: "NMR Relaxation " "Footprinting: The ACr(NH3)6U3+ Cation as a Probe for Drug " "Binding Sites on Oligonucleotides"J.E. Schurig, H.A. Meinema, K. Timmer, Wallingford/CT, USA; B.H. Long, A.M. Casazza, Zeist, NL: "Antitumor Activity of " "BisABis(Diphenylphosphino)Alkane and AlkeneU Group VIII " "Metal Complexes"M.E. Heim, H. Flechtner, Mannheim; B.K. Keppler, Heidelberg, FRG: "Clinical Studies with Budotitane -" "A New Non-Platinum Metal Complex for Cancer Therapy""

Tamoxifen has persisted as a widely accepted and administered drug for almost 25 years. Following the many scientific papers and books on the subject, it has remained a very intriguing substance. This, perhaps, is the reason for another monograph on Tamoxifen. It is regrettably true that overviews, even when up to date after exhaustive research - the shibboleth of our cultures -, rapidly lose relevance with the passage of time. Scientists can sometimes be pictured as deep sea divers, who plunge into the unknown in search of a hitherto unknown world. Their descent is exciting, but eventually they must come up for air and integrate their experiences with others who also had to resurface. This book intends to collect and, where possible, to collate recent, but sometimes seemingly unrelated information. To quote Stephane Mallarme: "Everything in the world exists to end up in a book." Even if this is a tad cynical, it might not be far from the truth. If a little knowledge is a dangerous commodity, one can also add - tongue in cheek - that a vast amount of knowledge can be truly hazardous. It is likely that what might seem as entangled data is confusing, especially for those satisfied with the comfortable interpretation of Tamoxifen as an antiestrogen which has long been found insufficient. The complexity of its mechanisms and effects defies simple explanations and may even seem capricious, but only because of our ignorance.