In recent years, there have been major advances in the treatment of patients with gynecologic malignancies. Perhaps the biggest advances have been in the area of ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology focuses primarily upon this malignancy. This volume discusses cytoreductive surgery; screening for ovarian cancer; chemotherapy; new chemotherapeutic drugs; the controversy regarding the role of high-dose chemotherapy in gynecologic cancers; the hereditary basis for gynecologic malignancies; molecular genetics; molecular biology and new biologic therapies. Other topics covered are the treatment of all stages of cervical cancer, including radiotherapy. In addition, a chapter on advances in the pathology of gynecologic cancers is included. The advances made in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies are due, in part, to the clinical studies performed by many of the contributors to this volume. Clinical advances have been the result of multidisciplinary approaches which involve molecular biologists, pathologists, radiation therapists, surgeons and chemotherapists. Future advances will continue to rely upon collaborative interaction among these different disciplines.

Where do you begin to look for a recent, authoritative article on the diagnosis or management of a particular malignancy? The few general oncology textbooks are generally out of date. Single papers in specialized journals are informative but seldom comprehensive; these are more often preliminary reports on a very limited number of patients. Certain general journals frequently publish good in-depth reviews of cancer topics, and published symposium lectures are often the best overviews available. Unfor tunately, these reviews and supplements appear sporadically, and the reader can never be sure when a topic of special interest will be covered. Cancer Treatment and Research is a series of authoritative volumes that aim to meet this need. It is an attempt to establish a critical mass of oncology literature covering virtually all oncology topics, revised frequently to keep the coverage up to date, easily available on a single library shelf or by a single personal subscription. We have approached the problem in the following fashion: first, by dividing the oncology literature into specific subdivisions such as lung can cer, genitourinary cancer, and pediatric oncology; second, by asking emi nent authorities in each of these areas to edit a volume on the specific topic on an annual or biannual basis. Each topic and tumor type is covered in a volume appearing frequently and predictably, discussing current diagnosis, staging, markers, all forms of treatment modalities, basic biology, and more."

Over the last 50 years, drug development and clinical trials have resulted in successful complete responses in diseases such as childhood leukemia, testicular cancer and Hodgkin's disease. We are still, however, confronted with over 500,000 cancer-related deaths per year. Clearly, the phenomenon of drug resistance is largely responsible for these failures and continues to be an area of active investigation. Since the last volume in this series, we have learned that the energy-dependent drug efflux protein, p-glycoprotein, encoded by the MDR 1 gene, is a member of a family of structurally related transport polypeptides, thus allowing us to explore the relationship between structure and function. In addition to ongoing well designed clinical trials aimed at reversing MDR mediated drug resistance, the first gene therapy studies with the MDR 1 gene retrovirally transduced into human bone marrow cells are about to be initiated. Although MDR is currently the most understood mechanism of drug resistance, we are uncovering increasing knowledge of alternative molecular and biochemical mechanisms of drug resistance to antimetabolites, cisplatin and alkylating agents and developing new strategies for circumventing such resistance. It is clear that drug resistance is complex, and many mechanisms exist by which cancer cells may overcome the cytotoxicity of our known chemotherapeutic agents. As our understanding of each of these mechanisms expands, well designed models will be necessary to test laboratory hypotheses and determine their relationship to drug resistance in humans. It is this integration of basic science and clinical investigation that will both advance our scientific knowledge and result in the improvement of cancer therapy.

The importance of drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy cannot be over stated. The 500,000 patients who die every year from cancer in the United States have, in most cases, been treated with chemotherapy. Many of these patients responded initially to chemotherapy, but death resulted from the development of drug-resistant tumors. In the first volume in the series. Drug Resistance in Chemotherapy the results of comprehensive laboratory studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms for resistance to individual agents and to the development of broad cross-resistance were described. In the past 2 years there has been substantial progress in understanding the molecular biology associated with these mechanisms of drug resistance. For the first time we are starting to understand which mechanisms are playing an im portant role in human tumors, and even more importantly, clinical trials have recently been initiated in an effort to reverse specific forms of drug resistance. The purpose of this volume is to describe the new advances, both at the molecular level and in the clinic regarding mechanisms of drug resistance and potential ways this resistance can be circumvented. This volume is focused upon mechanisms of resistance associated with two major classes of anticancer drugs: alkylating agents (including cisplatin) and the natural products (e. g., adriamycin and vinblastine). The first section of the book describes new insights into the genetic mechanisms associated with drug resistance."

The importance of drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy cannot be over stated. The 500,000 patients who die every year from cancer in the United States have, in most cases, been treated with chemotherapy. Many of these patients responded initially to chemotherapy, but death resulted from the development of drug-resistant tumors. In the first volume in the series. Drug Resistance in Chemotherapy the results of comprehensive laboratory studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms for resistance to individual agents and to the development of broad cross-resistance were described. In the past 2 years there has been substantial progress in understanding the molecular biology associated with these mechanisms of drug resistance. For the first time we are starting to understand which mechanisms are playing an im portant role in human tumors, and even more importantly, clinical trials have recently been initiated in an effort to reverse specific forms of drug resistance. The purpose of this volume is to describe the new advances, both at the molecular level and in the clinic regarding mechanisms of drug resistance and potential ways this resistance can be circumvented. This volume is focused upon mechanisms of resistance associated with two major classes of anticancer drugs: alkylating agents (including cisplatin) and the natural products (e. g., adriamycin and vinblastine). The first section of the book describes new insights into the genetic mechanisms associated with drug resistance."

Over the last 50 years, drug development and clinical trials have resulted in successful complete responses in diseases such as childhood leukemia, testicular cancer and Hodgkin's disease. We are still, however, confronted with over 500,000 cancer-related deaths per year. Clearly, the phenomenon of drug resistance is largely responsible for these failures and continues to be an area of active investigation. Since the last volume in this series, we have learned that the energy-dependent drug efflux protein, p-glycoprotein, encoded by the MDR 1 gene, is a member of a family of structurally related transport polypeptides, thus allowing us to explore the relationship between structure and function. In addition to ongoing well designed clinical trials aimed at reversing MDR mediated drug resistance, the first gene therapy studies with the MDR 1 gene retrovirally transduced into human bone marrow cells are about to be initiated. Although MDR is currently the most understood mechanism of drug resistance, we are uncovering increasing knowledge of alternative molecular and biochemical mechanisms of drug resistance to antimetabolites, cisplatin and alkylating agents and developing new strategies for circumventing such resistance. It is clear that drug resistance is complex, and many mechanisms exist by which cancer cells may overcome the cytotoxicity of our known chemotherapeutic agents. As our understanding of each of these mechanisms expands, well designed models will be necessary to test laboratory hypotheses and determine their relationship to drug resistance in humans. It is this integration of basic science and clinical investigation that will both advance our scientific knowledge and result in the improvement of cancer therapy.

In recent years, there have been major advances in the treatment of patients with gynecologic malignancies. Perhaps the biggest advances have been in the area of ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology focuses primarily upon this malignancy. This volume discusses cytoreductive surgery; screening for ovarian cancer; chemotherapy; new chemotherapeutic drugs; the controversy regarding the role of high-dose chemotherapy in gynecologic cancers; the hereditary basis for gynecologic malignancies; molecular genetics; molecular biology and new biologic therapies. Other topics covered are the treatment of all stages of cervical cancer, including radiotherapy. In addition, a chapter on advances in the pathology of gynecologic cancers is included. The advances made in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies are due, in part, to the clinical studies performed by many of the contributors to this volume. Clinical advances have been the result of multidisciplinary approaches which involve molecular biologists, pathologists, radiation therapists, surgeons and chemotherapists. Future advances will continue to rely upon collaborative interaction among these different disciplines.

Where do you begin to look for a recent, authoritative article on the diagnosis or management of a particular malignancy? The few general oncology textbooks are generally out of date. Single papers in specialized journals are informative but seldom comprehensive; these are more often preliminary reports on a very limited number of patients. Certain general journals frequently publish good in-depth reviews of cancer topics, and published symposium lectures are often the best overviews available. Unfor tunately, these reviews and supplements appear sporadically, and the reader can never be sure when a topic of special interest will be covered. Cancer Treatment and Research is a series of authoritative volumes that aim to meet this need. It is an attempt to establish a critical mass of oncology literature covering virtually all oncology topics, revised frequently to keep the coverage up to date, easily available on a single library shelf or by a single personal subscription. We have approached the problem in the following fashion: first, by dividing the oncology literature into specific subdivisions such as lung can cer, genitourinary cancer, and pediatric oncology; second, by asking emi nent authorities in each of these areas to edit a volume on the specific topic on an annual or biannual basis. Each topic and tumor type is covered in a volume appearing frequently and predictably, discussing current diagnosis, staging, markers, all forms of treatment modalities, basic biology, and more."