Key questions involved in the treatment of disseminated breast cancer are discussed in this well-presented overview. It is the result of an initiative taken by the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research to reveal the most recent developments in experimental and clinical research. The topics discussed include: the comparison of in vitro cultures of epithelial cells with breast cancer cells, the effect of steroids and their antagonists, the involvement of suppressor genes in tumour progression, the modulation of transforming growth factors by estrogen, and prognostic factors such as cERB-2 and EGF-R in breast cancer.

Inhalt

New Aspects in the Molecular Growth Regulation of Mammary Tumors.- In Vitro Cultures of Epithelial Cells from Healthy Breast Tissues and Cells from Breast Carcinomas.- Effects of Steroids and Their Antagonists on Breast Cancer Cells: Therapeutic Implications.- Estrogen-Induced Mitogens in Breast Cancer and Their Prognostic Value.- Serum Tyrosine Kinase Activity and Neoplastic Disease.- Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinase and PKC in Human Mammary Tumor Cells.- Expression of the c-erbB-2 Proto-Oncogene Protein in Human Breast Cancer.- Modulation by Estrogen and Growth Factors of Transforming Growth Factor-Alpha and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression in Normal and Malignant Human Mammary Epithelial Cells.- Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Human Breast Cancer.- The Transformation-Suppressive Function Is Lost in Tumorgenic Cells and Is Restored upon Transfer of a Suppressor Gene.