This volume covers classic and modern cell and molecular biology of prostate cancer, as well as novel biomarkers, inflammation, centrosome pathologies, microRNAs, cancer initiation novel biomarkers, inflammation, centrosome pathologies, microRNAs, cancer initiation and genetics, epigenetics, mitochondrial dysfunctions and apoptosis, cancer stem cells, angiogenesis and progression to metastasis, and treatment strategies including clinical trials related to prostate cancer. Cell & Molecular Biology of Prostate Cancer is one of two companion books comprehensively addressing the biology and clinical aspects of prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer: Molecular & Diagnostic Imaging and Treatment Stategies, the companion volume, discusses both classic and the most recent imaging approaches including analysis of needle biopsies, applications of nanoparticle probes and peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals for detection, early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Taken together, these volumes form one comprehensive and invaluable contribution to the literature.

The purpose of this book is to provide a contemporary overview of the causes and consequences of prostate cancer from a cellular and genetic perspective. Written by experts in the fields of epidemiology, toxicology, cell biology, genetics, genomics, cell-cell interactions, cell signaling, hormone signaling, and transcriptional regulation, the text covers aspects of prostate cancer from disease initiation to metastasis. Chapters explore in depth the cells of origin for prostate cancer, its genomic subtypes, neural transcription factors in disease progression, epigenetic regulation of chromatin, and many other topics. This book distinguishes itself from other texts on prostate cancer by its focus on cellular and genetic mechanisms, as opposed to clinical diagnosis and management. As a result, this book will be of broad interest to basic and translational scientists with familiarity of these topics, as well as to trainees at earlier stages of their research careers.

Tumor progression is driven by mutations that confer growth advantages to different subpopulations of cancer cells. As a tumor grows, these subpopulations expand, accumulate new mutations, and are subjected to selective pressures from the environment, including anticancer interventions. This process, termed clonal evolution, can lead to the emergence of therapy-resistant tumors and poses a major challenge for cancer eradication efforts. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine examines cancer progression as an evolutionary process and explores how this way of looking at cancer may lead to more effective strategies for managing and treating it. The contributors review efforts to characterize the subclonal architecture and dynamics of tumors, understand the roles of chromosomal instability, driver mutations, and mutation order, and determine how cancer cells respond to selective pressures imposed by anticancer agents, immune cells, and other components of the tumor microenvironment. They compare cancer evolution to organismal evolution and describe how ecological theories and mathematical models are being used to understand the complex dynamics between a tumor and its microenvironment during cancer progression. The authors also discuss improved methods to monitor tumor evolution (e.g., liquid biopsies) and the development of more effective strategies for managing and treating cancers (e.g., immunotherapies). This volume will therefore serve as a vital reference for all cancer biologists as well as anyone seeking to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer.

This book covers all the practical issues related to the interpretation of prostatic biopsies in day-to-day practice, including: biopsy sampling and processing; the diagnosis of limited cancer; differentiation of prostate cancers from benign lesions and recognition of histologic variants; the recognition and clinical significance of “atypical” diagnoses and HGPIN; the identification of recently described entities; the contemporary approach to Gleason grading; the utility of immunohistochemical markers and emerging molecular markers; and the reporting of prostate biopsies. Algorithms, flow charts, and tables are used throughout to simulate the thought and decision-making process upon encountering common clinical scenarios during sign-out of prostate biopsy. The book is richly illustrated with carefully selected, high-quality color images and will appeal especially to practicing surgical pathologists as well as pathology residents and fellows in training.

Cancer, which has become the second-most prevalent health issue globally, is essentially a malfunction of cell signaling. Understanding how the intricate signaling networks of cells and tissues allow cancer to thrive - and how they can be turned into potent weapons against it - is the key to managing cancer in the clinic and improving the outcome of cancer therapies. In their ground-breaking textbook, the authors provide a compelling story of how cancer works on the molecular level, and how targeted therapies using kinase inhibitors and other modulators of signaling pathways can contain and eventually cure it. The first part of the book gives an introduction into the cell and molecular biology of cancer, focusing on the key mechanisms of cancer formation. The second part of the book introduces the main signaling transduction mechanisms responsible for carcinogenesis and compares their function in healthy versus cancer cells. In contrast to the complexity of its topic, the text is easy to read. 32 specially prepared teaching videos on key concepts and pathways in cancer signaling are available online for users of the print edition and have been integrated into the text in the enhanced e-book edition.

A fundamental and groundbreaking reassessment of how we view and manage cancer When we think of the forces driving cancer, we don’t necessarily think of evolution. But evolution and cancer are closely linked because the historical processes that created life also created cancer. The Cheating Cell delves into this extraordinary relationship, and shows that by understanding cancer’s evolutionary origins, researchers can come up with more effective, revolutionary treatments. Athena Aktipis goes back billions of years to explore when unicellular forms became multicellular organisms. Within these bodies of cooperating cells, cheating ones arose, overusing resources and replicating out of control, giving rise to cancer. Aktipis illustrates how evolution has paved the way for cancer’s ubiquity, and why it will exist as long as multicellular life does. Even so, she argues, this doesn’t mean we should give up on treating cancer—in fact, evolutionary approaches offer new and promising options for the disease’s prevention and treatments that aim at long-term management rather than simple eradication. Looking across species—from sponges and cacti to dogs and elephants—we are discovering new mechanisms of tumor suppression and the many ways that multicellular life-forms have evolved to keep cancer under control. By accepting that cancer is a part of our biological past, present, and future—and that we cannot win a war against evolution—treatments can become smarter, more strategic, and more humane. Unifying the latest research from biology, ecology, medicine, and social science, The Cheating Cell challenges us to rethink cancer’s fundamental nature and our relationship to it.

Principles of Stem Cell Biology and Cancer: Future Applications and Therapeutics Tarik Regad, The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, UK, Thomas J. Sayers, Centre for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, USA and Robert Rees The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, UK The field of cancer stem cells is expanding rapidly, with many groups focusing on isolating and identifying cancer stem cell populations. Although some progress has been made developing efficient cancer therapies, targeting cancer stem cells remains one of the important challenges facing the growing stem cell research community. Principles of Stem Cell Biology and Cancer brings together original contributions from international experts in the field to present the very latest information linking stem cell biology and cancer. Divided into two parts, the book begins with a detailed introduction to stem cell biology with a focus on the characterization of these cells, progress that has been made in their identification, as well as future therapeutic applications of stem cells. The second part focuses on cancer stem cells and their role in cancer development, progression and chemo-resistance. This section of the book includes an overview of recent progress concerning therapies targeting cancer stem cells. Features: An authoritative introduction to the link between stem cell biology and cancer. Includes contributions from leading international experts in the field. Well-illustrated with full colour figures throughout. This book will prove an invaluable resource for basic and applied researchers and clinicians working on the development of new cancer treatments and therapies, providing a timely publication of high quality reviews outlining the current progress and exciting future possibilities for stem cell research.

The book shows how mathematical and computational models can be used to study cancer biology. It introduces the concept of mathematical modeling and then applies it to a variety of topics in cancer biology. These include aspects of cancer initiation and progression, such as the somatic evolution of cells, genetic instability, and angiogenesis. The book also discusses the use of mathematical models for the analysis of therapeutic approaches such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and the use of oncolytic viruses.