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Molecular Markers of Brain Tumor Cells : Implications for Diagnosis, Prognosis and Anti-Neoplastic Biological Therapy
Childhood brain tumors are a diverse group of diseases characterized by the abnormal growth of tissue contained within the skull. Other than leukemia and lymphoma, brain tumors are the most common type of neoplasms that occur in children. The leading cause of death from childhood neoplasms among persons up to 19 years is brain tumors. As such, this book is a review of the most recent molecular biological research concerning brain tumors with references and comparisons to a variety of neoplastic disorders. The book then uses this information to foreshadow the direction that future anti-neoplastic therapies will take. Because of the wide spectrum of the objectives of the book, any individual involved in cancer research will greatly benefit from the work. Histopathologists, neuropathologists, clinical and research oncologists, and medical students will find this book to be an invaluable resource as a reference guide. Patients and their families will also find the book useful as it offers a comprehensive update on new, non-classical therapeutic modality options and contains a detailed description and analysis of brain tumors. Such an endeavor has yet to be undertaken by any other book and may prove to be the most comprehensive book on brain tumors thus far.
Micrometastasis
Distant metastases are the main cause of cancer-related death. The onset of the metastatic process can now be assessed in cancer patients by the use of immunocytochemical and molecular methods that allow the identification of disseminated carcinoma cells in regional lymph nodes, peripheral blood or distant organs. There is increasing evidence that the detection and characterization of tumor cells present in bone marrow or peripheral blood can provide clinically important information. In this book, leading experts in the area of micrometastasis research provide an overview that summarizes the current state of research on micrometastatic disease in patients with solid tumors. In each chapter, the technical aspect as well as clinical relevance of micrometastasis detection is discussed. The book addresses basic researchers as well as clinicians involved in the treatment of cancer patients.
Immune mediators in cancer : Methods and protocols
Provides a comprehensive collection of classic and cutting-edge methodologies as well as bioinformatics and genome-editing approaches that are used to quantify immune mediators and analyze their function and biological activity in cancer cells and tissues. Beginning with a section on the detection of immune mediators in samples, the volume continues with sections covering cytokine bioassays, the expression and regulation of immune mediators in cancer cells, and methods to navigate the enormous datasets created by modern DNA and RNA sequencing and proteomic technology. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Genetic Engineering of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
MSC (mesenchymal stem cells) have been reported to initiate revascularization after injury, to facilitate engraftment of blood-forming stem cells, and to reduce the incidence of graft-vs. host disease through their immune-suppressive qualities. Finally, bone marrow-derived MSC have been reported to home to areas of solid tumor revascularization, and thus may be used as delivery vehicles to target ablative agents into dividing tumor cells. Recently the characteristics of human MSC from adipose (fat) tissue have also been identified. The possibility of repairing tissues, speeding stem cell engraftment, and targeting solid tumors for specific killing, using MSC easily harvested from bone marrow, or better yet, from unwanted fat tissue, holds broad appeal, and is an intriguing possibility that could have dramatic effect on health care. This book has information on how to isolate, grow, and characterize MSC from marrow and fat, and gives important insight into how these cells may be used for gene delivery and cellular therapies in the future. Updates on emerging clinical trials are given.
General Principles of Tumor Immunotherapy : Basic and Clinical Applications of Tumor Immunology
Brings together the world’s leading authorities on tumor immunology. This book describes the basic immunology principles that form the foundation of understanding how the immune system recognizes and rejects tumor cells. The role of the innate and adaptive immune responses is discussed and the implications of these responses for the design of clinical strategies to combat cancer are illustrated through both experimental clinical trials and review of current standard of care therapeutic agents. This information will be invaluable to both students of immunology and cancer research and practicing physicians who have patients with cancer. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the field, demonstrates how advances in basic immunology can and are being applied to cancer, and describes the current status of approved immunotherapy regimens.
Cancerimmunotherapies : Solid tumors and hematologic malignancies
Presents the clinical scope of cancer immunotherapeutic agents for solid tumors and Hematologic malignancies, elaborates on the scientific details of their modes of action, and presents the impact of these agents on oncology, patients and the broader healthcare system. At present, cancer immunotherapies fall broadly into three categories: immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), adoptive T cell therapies, and cancer vaccines which have distinct mechanisms of action. Immune checkpoint inhibitors rely upon disrupting tumor antigen recognition as self by the immune system through inhibition of checkpoint molecules. Adoptive T cell therapies involve the engineering of T cells ex vivo to target and destroy tumor cells. The first part of this book will provide an overview of the discovery and mechanistic details of the technology. The second part will be devoted to elaborating on the clinical outcomes, successes and limitations for specific tumor subtypes, which includes both solid tumors and hematologic malignances for both pediatric and adult populations.
Cancer drug resistance
In Cancer Drug Resistance, leading scientists from the best academic institutions and industrial laboratories summarize and synthesize the latest discoveries concerning the changes that occur in tumor cells as they develop resistance to a wide variety of anticancer therapeutics, as well as suggest new approaches to the biology of drug resistance that may afford new therapeutic opportunities.
Cancer cell biology : methods and protocols
Provides detailed methods on the mechanisms of underlying cancer cell biology. Chapters guide readers through techniques for culturing cancer cell lines, xenografts, cryopreservation of tumor cells, analyzing the co-culture of breast cancer cells, protein secretion by ELISA, flow cytometry-based, multi-parametric immunofluorescence analysis, protein expression by western blot, analysis of surface protein levels, protein recycling by biotinylation assay, and proteomics analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Cancer : Cell Structures, Carcinogens and Genomic Instability
Tumors can be induced by a variety of physical and chemical carcinogens. The resulting tumor cells are usually abnormal in their morphology and behavior and transmit their abnormalities to their daughter tumor cells. Most theories of the pathogenesis of tumors suggest that carcinogens in some way cause alterations either of the genomes or of inheritable patterns of gene expression in normal cells, which then cause morphological and behavioral changes. This volume presents a collection of articles aimed at the question by what genetic or epigenetic mechanisms carcinogens can cause morphological abnormalities of tumor cells. It includes reviews of cellular targets of known carcinogens, and presents varying viewpoints of how morphological abnormalities and the actions of carcinogens might be related.
Brain tumor pathology : Current diagnostic hotspots and pitfalls
Since Bailey and Cushing (1926), all brain tumor classifications have been called histogenetic. The nosographic position that the tumor types progressively acquired in the classification systems derived from the resemblance of tumor cells to those of the cytogenesis, modified whenever new information became available from different biological research fields and especially from molecular genetics. Classically, on the basis of the rough correspondence between the mature/immature aspect of tumor cells and the benign/malignant biological behavior of the tumors, the histological labels contained a prognostic significance. The supposed origin of the tumors was thus a factor for prognosis. Later on, with the concept of anaplasia (Cox, 1933; Kernohan et al., 1949) new criteria were introduced for establishing the malignancy grades of tumors. Immunohistochemistry and later molecular genetics further refined the prognostic diagnoses, substantially increasing the opportunities to recognize the cell origin of tumors, beside revealing the pathogenetic mechanisms. Prognoses became more accurate, as required by the greater and more targeted possibilities of therapy.
Analyzing T cell responses : How to analyze cellular immune responses against tumor associated antigens
Active specific immunotherapy is a promising but investigational modality in the management of cancer patients. Currently, several different cancer vaccine formulations such as peptides, proteins, antigen-pulsed dendritic cells, whole tumor cells, etc. in combination with various adjuvants and carriers are being evaluated in clinical trials (1-3). To determine the optimal cancer
Adaptive dynamic programming for chemotherapy drug delivery
Focuses on the practical application of Adaptive Dynamic Programming (ADP) in chemotherapy drug delivery, taking into account clinical variables and real-time data. ADP's ability to adapt to changing conditions and make optimal decisions in complex and uncertain situations makes it a valuable tool in addressing pressing challenges in healthcare and other fields. As optimization technology evolves, we can expect to see even more sophisticated and powerful solutions emerge.
