Over the last three decades, knowledge on the molecular biology of human cancers has vastly expanded. A host of genes and proteins involved in cancer development and progression have been defined and many mechanisms at the molecular, cellular and even tissue level have been, at least partly, elucidated. Insights have also been gained into the molecular mechanisms underlying carcinogenesis by chemical, physical, and biological agents and into inherited susceptibility to cancer.

More than ever, cancer research is now an interdisciplinary effort which requires a basic knowledge of commonly used terms, facts, issues, and concepts. The aim of this book is to provide advanced students and practitioners of different disciplines with this basis, bridging the gap between standard textbooks of molecular biology, pathology, and oncology on the one hand and the specialized cancer literature on the other.

Klappentext

Cancer research is now an interdisciplinary effort requiring a basic knowledge of commonly used terms, facts, issues, and concepts. This interdisciplinary book meets this need, providing an authoritative overview to the field. It presents many of the molecules and mechanisms generally important in human cancers and examines a broad, but exemplary, selection of cancers. In addition, cancer research has now reached a critical stage, in which the accumulated knowledge on molecular mechanisms is gradually translated into improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This book summarizes the state, pitfalls, and potential of these efforts.

Inhalt

Part I. 1 An Introduction to Human Cancers. 2 Tumor Genetics. 3 DNA Damage and DNA Repair. 4 Oncogenes. 5 Tumor Suppressor Genes. 6 Cancer Pathways. 7 Apoptosis and Replicative Senescence in Cancer. 8 Cancer Epigenetics. 9 Invasion and metastasis. Part II. 10 Leukemias and Lymphomas. 11 Wilms Tumor (nephroblastoma). 12 Cancers of the skin. 13 Colon Cancer. 14 Bladder Cancer. 15 Renal Cell Carcinoma. 16 Liver Cancer. 17 Stomach Cancer. 18 Breast Cancer. 19 Prostate Cancer. Part III. 20 Cancer Prevention. 22 Cancer Therapy.