Biology Of Tumors

The Ninth Annual Pezcoller Symposium entitled "The Biology of Tumors" was held in Rovereto, Italy, June 4-7, 1997. It focused on the genetic mechanisms underlying het erogeneity of tumor cell populations and tumor cell differentiation, on interactions be tween tumor cells and cells of host defenses, and the mechanisms of angiogenesis. With presentations at the cutting edge of progress and stimulating discussions, this symposium addressed issues related to phenomena concerned with cell regulation and cell interactions as determined by activated genes through the appropriate and timely media tion of gene products. Important methodologies that would allow scientists to measure dif ferentially genes and gene products and thus validate many of the mechanisms of control currently proposed were considered, as were the molecular basis of tumor recognition by the immune system, interactions between cells and molecular mechanisms of cell regula tion as they are affected by or implemented through these interactions. The molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumor vascularization were also discussed. It was recognized that angiogenesis provides a potential site of therapeutic intervention and this makes it even more important to understand the mechanisms underlying it. We wish to thank the participants in the symposium for their substantial contribu tions and their participation in the spirited discussions that followed. We would also like to thank Drs.

"Introduction to Cancer Biology is a short primer on how cancers develop and grow. The aim of this book is to provide a gentle exploration of the fundamental concepts in a easy-to-understand format, using examples and key figures for illustration. It is written in a style to help the reader understand the six basic principles that inform our current understanding of cancer, at the molecular, cellular and physiological level. The text can be used either as a first step towards a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of cancer progression or it can be used as a quick revision guide. It would be suitable for anyone, with or without a background in biology."--Website.

This textbook takes you on a journey to the basic concepts of cancer biology. It combines developmental, evolutionary and cell biology perspectives, to then wrap-up with an integrated clinical approach. The book starts with an introductory chapter, looking at cancer in a nut shell. The subsequent chapters are detailed and the idea of cancer as a mass of somatic cells undergoing a micro-evolutionary Darwinian process is explored. Further, the main Hanahan and Weinberg “Hallmarks of Cancer” are revisited. In most chapters, the fundamental experiments that led to key concepts, connecting basic biology and biomedicine are highlighted. In the book’s closing section all of these concepts are integrated in clinical studies, where molecular diagnosis as well as the various classical and modern therapeutic strategies are addressed. The book is written in an easy-to-read language, like a one-on-one conversation between the writer and the reader, without compromising the scientific accuracy. Therefore, this book is suited not only for advanced undergraduates and master students but also for patients or curious lay people looking for a further understanding of this shattering disease

As was shown in the first two volumes of this series, great strides have been made in identifying many of the agents or classes of substances responsible for carcinogenesis and in delineating their interactions with the cell. Clearly, the aim of such studies is that, once identified, these agents can be eliminated from the environment. Yet, despite these advances and the elimination of some important carcinogenic agents, one major problem exists. It is a constant monitor of all oncologic study and diminishes the importance of every experiment and of every clinical observation. As we noted earlier, that problem is our inability to define the malignant cell. It is through studies of the fundamental biology of tumors that we seek this definition. A vast amount of information has been gathered which describes what this cell does and-to a lesser extent-how it does it. But the why evades us. We have been unable to define the malignant cell, save in broad terms by comparing it to its normal counterpart. The major problem appears to be that the malignant cell does so much. It is a chimera, mystifyingly composed of normal activities and structures, of phenotypic schizophrenia with embryonic, fetal, and adult charac teristics and, occasionally, a hint of an unclassifiable capacity unique to malignant cells.

The unprecedented amount of data produced with high-throughput experimentation forces biologists to employ mathematical representation and computation methods to glean meaningful information in systems-level biology. Applying this approach to the underlying molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, cancer researchers can uncover a series of new discov