Familial and Hereditary Tumors

For many years the etiology of human tumors has almost exclusively been attributed to environmental factors, which seemed to be involved not only in the induction of neo plasms but also in other phases of tumorigenesis. Cigarette smoking and alcohol are the two best known examples of factors related to our modern lifestyle which have been implicated in the development of cancer of various organs. From the 1960s onward, the pioneer work of a few investigators clearly showed that hereditary factors were not only related to rare neoplasms, but could also be respon sible for the occurrence of a sizeable fraction of tumors that do not usually show features of inheritance (as in the case of breast or colorectal cancer). Thus, the idea that some common human malignancies could be transmitted from one generation to another with features of mendelian gene tics became more and more evident. In addition, the verit able explosion of molecular biology in the last 15 years has made a further and substantial contribution to the emerging role of genetics in biomedical research and particularly in cancer.

Klappentext

The pioneering work of a few investigators in the 1960s made it clear that genetic factors play an important role in tumor development. Hereditary factors have nonetheless received far less attention than environmental ones in the study of the causes of cancer. This has resulted in the discrepancy that there is a strong general concern, for example, about cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse (the two most common causes of cancer in humans) yet that many physicians give little or no attention to the patient's familial history and that first-degree relatives of patients are rarely felt to be at risk because of the common genetic background. This volume focuses on the genetic features of most human tumors, emphasizing their familial and hereditary basis as well as the close interaction between environmental and genetic factors. The aim is to translate our increased knowledge of familial cancer into new programs for cancer prevention and detection, such as the surveillance of high-risk individuals.

Inhalt
Genetic Aspects of Disease: Categories of Genetic Disorders.- Biomarkers of Increased Susceptibility to Cancer.- Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes.- Genetic Factors in Solid Tumors of Childhood.- Retinoblastoma.- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia.- Hereditary Tumors of the Nervous System.- Hereditary Melanoma and Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome.- Hereditary and Familial Breast Tumors.- Hereditary and Familial Ovarian Cancer.- Genetic Factors in Lung Cancer.- Genetic Factors in Precancerous Lesions and Cancer of the Esophagus.- Genetic Predisposition and Environmental Factors in Gastric Carcinoma.- Hereditary and Familial Colorectal Cancer.- Hereditary Gastrointestinal Polyposis Syndromes.- Familial Aspects in Carcinoma of the Pancreas.- Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.- Genetic Factors in Leukemia and Lymphoma.- Familial Factors in Cancer of the Genitourinary Tract.- Cancer-Prone Hereditary Diseases Associated with Abnormalities of DNA Repair.- Familial Tumors of Other Organs.