This book presents an overview of the most important current developments in the pre-analytical handling of tissue. It addresses in particular potential ways to improve the situation whereby methods employed in the pre-analytical phase - the period from surgical removal of tissue to the start of pathological processing - have remained essentially unchanged for decades with only modest standardization. It is examined how the pre-analytical period can be optimized, resulting not only in an increase in diagnostic quality but also in a reduction in processing time and costs. Among the key topics examined are the so-called cold ischemia time between tissue removal and fixation, the potential superiority of vacuum-based preservation over immediate formalin fixation, two-temperature fixation, molecular analysis methods, and the pre-analytics of specimens from particular tissues. Readers will find this book to be an important update that reveals the full importance of the pre-analytical phase for quality of pathological work-up.

From its introduction, oncological chemotherapy has been encumbered by its poor selectivity because most antiproliferative drugs are toxic not only to tumor cells but also to important populations of the body s non-neoplastic cells. The resultant problems with unwanted side effects are compounded by difficulties in predicting the desired effectivity of chemotherapy in individual patients.

This unsatisfactory situation has driven intensive research and development towards more specific and less toxic anticancer drugs over the last few decades. Several results of these efforts have reached the clinic and an even greater number are now in preclinical testing.

Common to all these targeted therapies is their interaction with defined molecules present on cancer cells, which adds various degrees of increased selectivity to their toxic effects. As a consequence, detecting the target molecule on tumors before therapy holds great diagnostic potential for predicting the efficacy of the drug and personalizing therapy.

This book aims to present translational scientists and clinicians with an integrated critical view on the theories, mechanisms, problems and pitfalls of the targeted therapy approach."

This book presents an overview of the most important current developments in the pre-analytical handling of tissue. It addresses in particular potential ways to improve the situation whereby methods employed in the pre-analytical phase – the period from surgical removal of tissue to the start of pathological processing – have remained essentially unchanged for decades with only modest standardization. It is examined how the pre-analytical period can be optimized, resulting not only in an increase in diagnostic quality but also in a reduction in processing time and costs. Among the key topics examined are the so-called cold ischemia time between tissue removal and fixation, the potential superiority of vacuum-based preservation over immediate formalin fixation, two-temperature fixation, molecular analysis methods, and the pre-analytics of specimens from particular tissues. Readers will find this book to be an important update that reveals the full importance of the pre-analytical phase for quality of pathological work-up.

From its introduction, oncological chemotherapy has been encumbered by poor selectivity because antiproliferative drugs are often toxic not only to tumor cells but also to important populations of the body s non-neoplastic cells. Modern targeted therapies interact with defined molecules present on cancer cells, adding increased selectivity to their toxic effects. This book presents an integrated critical view on the theories, mechanisms, problems and pitfalls of the targeted therapy approach.