Most cancer deaths are a result of metastasis. The spread of a primary tumor to colonize neighboring and distant organs is the relentless endgame that defines the neoplastic process. Patients who have been diagnosed with cancer are treated to prevent both the recurrence of the tumor at the site of origin and metastasis that would re-stage them as advanced stage IV cancer. Historically and still with some types of cancer, stage IV is perceived by patients as “terminal.” Fortunately, recent molecular therapies have extended the lives of patients with advanced cancer and reassuringly people living with metastatic disease increasingly visit our clinics. What is the path forward? Given that the consilience of science and medicine is a dynamic art from which therapies arise, it would be misguided to consider any single work adequate at capturing the horizon for research. So with humility we constructed this text as primer for scientists. It begins with a broad introduction to the clinical management of common cancers. This is intended to serve as a foundation for investigators to consider when developing basic science hypotheses. Unquestionably, medical and surgical care of cancer patients reveals biology and dictates how novel therapeutics will ultimately be evaluated in clinical trials. The second section of this text offers provocative and evolving insights that underscore the breadth of science involved in the elucidation of cancer metastasis biology. The text concludes with information that integrates scientific and clinical foundations to highlight translational research. This book serves as a framework for scientists to conceptualize clinical and translational knowledge on the complexity of disease that is metastatic cancer.

An overview of the current systems biology-based knowledge and the experimental approaches for deciphering the biological basis of cancer.

This is a revised and updated edition of a text used in undergraduate courses on cancer biology. It covers everything from the molecular basis of cancer to clinical aspects of the subject, and has a lengthy bibliography designed to assist newcomers with the cancer literature. An introduction acquaints students with the biological principles of cancer and the human dimensions of the disease by considering genuine cases of cancer in fictionalized letters. Other chapters discuss cancer pathology, metastasis, carcinogenesis, genetics, oncogenes and tumor suppressors, epidemiology, and the biological basis of cancer treatment. Also included are an appendix with descriptions of common forms of cancer, a glossary of cancer-related terms and colour plates to illustrate the pathology of many of the types of cancer discussed in the text. Upper-division undergraduates with a background in freshman biology and chemistry, as well as beginning graduate students will find this a valuable text.

Written and edited by internationally recognised leaders in the field, the new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Oncology has been fully revised and updated, taking into consideration the advancements in each of the major therapeutic areas, and representing the multidisciplinary management of cancer. Structured in six sections, the book provides an accessible scientific basis to the key topics of oncology, examining how cancer cells grow and function, as well as discussing the aetiology of cancer, and the general principles governing modern approaches to oncology treatment. The book examines the challenges presented by the treatment of cancer on a larger scale within population groups, and the importance of recognising and supporting the needs of individual patients, both during and after treatment. A series of disease-oriented, case-based chapters, ranging from acute leukaemia to colon cancer, highlight the various approaches available for managing the cancer patient, including the translational application of cancer science in order to personalise treatment. The advice imparted in these cases has relevance worldwide, and reflects a modern approach to cancer care. The Oxford Textbook of Oncology provides a comprehensive account of the multiple aspects of best practice in the discipline, making it an indispensable resource for oncologists of all grades and subspecialty interests.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Metastatic lung cancer is responsible for more than ninety percent of lung cancer related deaths. However, relatively little progress has been made in understanding the process of lung cancer metastasis. The two main aims of this book are a) to introduce clinical aspects to basic scientists and basic molecular and cellular concepts to clinical investigators, in order to promote collaboration and foster much needed translational research; and b) to introduce new and emerging concepts and approaches in metastasis research to lung cancer research community at large. In this attempt, the book will cover a broad spectrum of subjects ranging from the current trends in the clinical management of the metastatic disease, to the systems biology approach for gaining insights into the mechanisms of metastasis. Some of the subjects covered will include: defining basic hallmarks of a metastatic cell, the concept of tumor stem cells, epithelial-mesenchymal transitions, evasion of immune-surveillance, tumor-stromal interactions, angiogenesis, molecular imaging and biomarker discovery.

Immunotherapy in Resistant Cancer: From the Lab Bench Work to Its Clinical Perspectives provides high level knowledge on detailed mechanisms of actions and biological interactions of different immune drugs, with an aim of offering researchers and clinicians cutting-edge therapies to overcome drug resistance. The book explains the latest immunotherapies for different types of cancer, helping users carry out research projects or create alternatives for drug development in the pharmaceutical industry. Topics discussed include the relationship between immunotherapy and macrophages, immune checkpoints in different types of cancer, immune cocktails in solid tumors, and immune-phenotyping. Additionally, the book presents basic and clinical data on immunoresistance and glycosylation. This book is a valuable source for cancer researchers, medical doctors, clinicians and members of the biomedical field who must understand certain mechanisms to fight cancer that is resistant to immunotherapy.

Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma represents the first book of its kind to be dedicated solely to UTUC. It's aim is to improve understanding and eventually care of a disease that is greatly understudied and underappreciated, yet commonly dealt with by many medical and urologic oncologists. The volume features new data regarding genetic susceptibility, gene expression studies and causative factors; contemporary concepts and controversies regarding diagnosis and staging of UTUC; prediction tools and their value in treatment decisions within each disease stage and patient selection and treatment options such as endoscopic management, distal ureterectomy, radical nephroureterectomy and chemotherapy. Up-to-date information regarding boundaries of surgical resection, indication and extent of lymphadenectomy is covered as well as the role of perioperative/neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with high-risk UTUC. Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma will be of great value to all Urologists, Medical Oncologists and fellows in Urologic Oncology as well as upper level residents in training in Urology and Medical Oncology.

The clinical significance of tumor spread has always been appreciated. Yet, in spite of the pioneering work and outstanding contributions of investigators such as D. Coman, H. Green, B. Fisher, S. Wood and I. Zeidman, studies on metastasis rarely achieved the popularity afforded to more esoteric areas of tumor biology. Tumor dissemination, occurring as it does in a responding host and being composed of a series of dynamic int~ractions, is a highly complex phenomenon. Few investigators were brave enough to attempt to unravel the mechanisms involved. Paradoxically, this very complexity may have contributed, in part, to the recent upsurge of interest in metastasis research. More and more researchers are becoming fascinated by the complexities of the cellular interactions involved in tumor spread. Accompanying this intellectual stimulation have been technological advances in related fields which allow the derivation of new model systems. The mechanisms of metastatic spread are increasingly amenable to both the reductionist and holistic approaches and it is the purpose of this volume to present many of these model systems while emphasizing the intricacy and complexity of the processes they mimic. We have attempted to emphasize two topics not previously covered in depth in previous books on metastases. These are in vitro models of invasion and in teractions of tumor cells with connective tissue.

The book addresses controversies related to the origins of cancer and provides solutions to cancer management and prevention. It expands upon Otto Warburg's well-known theory that all cancer is a disease of energy metabolism. However, Warburg did not link his theory to the "hallmarks of cancer" and thus his theory was discredited. This book aims to provide evidence, through case studies, that cancer is primarily a metabolic disease requring metabolic solutions for its management and prevention. Support for this position is derived from critical assessment of current cancer theories. Brain cancer case studies are presented as a proof of principle for metabolic solutions to disease management, but similarities are drawn to other types of cancer, including breast and colon, due to the same cellular mutations that they demonstrate.

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.