Introduction to Tumor Biology.

Paperback, English, original editor's jacket, 16x24 cm., 148 pp. ISBN 9789061869504. Oncologische Heelkunde / Surgical Oncology : 06. This book offers clinical oncologists an introduction to some selected topics of tumor biology where important progress has been made during the last decade. The concept is rather unique because it combines advances in clinical pathology, genetics, molecular oncology and immunology. The first two chapters deal with the genetic and molecular basis of malignant transformation on cellular level: DNA damage, mutations and repair mechanisms, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. The growth of a tumor cell population depends not only on cell division, but also on deregulation of apoptosis (chapter 3). Most clinical tumors are charcterised by heterogeneity caused by different degrees of differentiation in different cell clones as illustrated for soft tissue tumors in chapter 4. The following chapters explain the multistep process of local tumor progression in gastro-intestinal cancers and malignant melanoma. Cellular and molucular aspects of metastases are dealt with in chapter 7. But host cells react to tumor cells and specific T-cell defined antigens offer a perspective for cancer vaccine development as reviewed in the last chatper. The book is timely because new diagnostic and therapeutic applications based on molecular oncology will reach the clinic at ever increasing pace.