Brain Oncology Biology Diagnosis And Therapy

The International Meeting on Brain Oncology in Rennes was organised in honor of Jean Pecker, to pay tribute to his contribution to the development of neurological sciences and to take stock of the current state of knowledge on brain tumors, a domain in which the role of neurosurgery has been and will continue to be primordial. During the two-day conference, the major themes of brain oncology studies, both fundamental and clinical, were examined: oncogenesis, tumoral markers and immunology, metabolic and diagnosis imaging, prognostic factors and therapeutic strategies. The large number and high quality of participations resulted in a genuinely synthetic view of current advances in research, of which this book presents the essentials. We have attempted both to preserve the richness of scientific exchanges which occurred and to publish a great many oral and poster communications. The book respects the organization of conference sessions, and thus reflects the importance accorded to glial tumor studies. This may seem disproportionate given their frequency of occurrence in proportion to total numbers of intracranial tumor processes, but their gravity and quasi-total resistance to current therapeutic methods are ample justification. Moreover, this is the domain in which hopes of progress are beginning to appear, and it is becoming possible to envisage treatment based on recently established fundamental knowledge.

This eighth volume in the series Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy, and Prognosis discusses in detail the classification of the CNS tumors as well as brain tumor imaging. Scientists and Clinicians have contributed state of the art chapters on their respective areas of expertise, providing the reader a whole field view of the CNS tumors and brain tumor imaging in Europe. This fully illustrated volume: Explains the genetics of malignant brain tumors and gene amplification using quantitative-PCR; Presents a large number of standard and new imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, amide proton transfer imaging, positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance single voxel spectroscopy and intraoperative ultrasound imaging, for staging and diagnosing various primary and secondary brain cancers; Explains the usefulness of imaging methods for planning and monitoring (assessment) therapy for cancers; Discusses diagnosis and treatment of primary CNS lymphomas, CNS atypical teratoid/rhabdoid and CNS Rosai-Dorfman disease; Includes the subject of translational medicine. Professor Hayat has summarized the problems associated with the complexities of research publications and has been successful in editing a must-read volume for oncologists, cancer researchers, medical teachers and students of cancer biology.

When I was asked by the Cancer Teaching Committee of the University of Chicago to set up a Symposium on Brain Tumors, I welcomed the opportunity to do so. But I felt that "Brain Tumors" was far too broad a subject to cover in a day and a half meeting. Furthermore, during the past decade, there have been a great many papers and symposiums on technical advancements in the treatment of benign brain tumors. On the other hand, while gliomas make up somewhere around 50% of all brain tumors, there have certainly been far fewer communications about them. For this reason I thought that it would be highly valuable to invite some of the leading investigators to share with us their experience with gliomas. The hope was to learn the current concepts about these tumors biologically and therapeutically, specifically to find out what we are doing and where we are going in these respects. Naturally all aspects could not be covered. Nevertheless, it was a widely expressed opinion by the speakers that they too learned while they came to teach. It is therefore hoped that the publication of their works and ideas through this mono graph will also be useful for the reader. Most of the manu scripts were handed in at the time of the Symposium, and a few were sent later. Except for minor editorial changes the words are entirely those of the speakers and authors.

Exciting new developments and discoveries of the last two decades are beginning to shed light on the complex biology of brain tumors and are advancing our understa- ing of the cellular and molecular processes involved in their initiation, progression, and clinical and biological behavior. The disease process in brain tumors is quite complex and the resulting tumors are characterized by a high degree of biological and clinical diversity. Thus, despite the advances of the last two decades, prognosis for patients with malignant brain tumors remains abysmal. Significant progress in the diagnosis, treatment and, ultimately, prevention of these tumors will require both the timely h- nessing of the advances in basic and clinical brain tumor research, and a continuing concerted effort at increasing our understanding of brain tumor biology, in particular, the molecular genetic changes and perturbations of cellular pathways involved in brain oncogenesis and which drive the biological and clinical behavior of the tumors. Brain tumor diagnosis and prognosis, which is still largely based on histopathology and other clinical criteria, will, in the future, acquire a significant molecular component, with the incorporation of knowledge of genes that are mutated, over-expressed, deleted, silenced, or functionally altered in the tumors. Treatment strategies for brain tumors, rather than being empirical, will be rationally developed based on an understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms and targets that have been activated, suppressed, or otherwise altered.

Brain Metastases from Primary Tumors Volume Three: Epidemiology, Biology, and Therapy of Melanoma and Other Cancers provides a comprehensive overview of the metastasis of cancer, the main cause of approximately 90% of cancer associated deaths, yet the mechanisms governing this clinically important process remain poorly understood. Melanoma is the third most common diagnosis among patients with brain metastases, after lung and breast cancer. Approximately 75% of patients with metastatic melanoma develop brain metastases during the course of their disease. Although tumorigenesis of melanoma remains poorly understood, recent advances in gene expression profiling have revealed molecular mechanisms of this deadly disease. In addition, high-throughput gene expression has many advantages over techniques in cancer transcriptomic studies and has led to the discovery of numerous diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets, which are also detailed in this book. The book discusses the link between primary tumors and brain metastasis of melanoma, including molecular mechanisms, treatment options, prognosis, and general applications. Comprehensive chapters discuss systemic therapy, integrin inhibitors, stereotaxic radiosurgery, and more, making this book a great resource for neurooncologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, and cancer researchers. Presents the only comprehensive reference detailing the link between primary cancers and brain metastases in melanoma Aids the target audience in discussing various treatment options for patients with brain metastases from melanoma Edited work with chapters authored by leaders in the field around the globe – the broadest, most expert coverage available

This new resource presents today's most comprehensive, multidisciplinary coverage of cancers of the central and peripheral nervous system. Experts in neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neuropathology, neuro-oncology, and all other relevant fields present well-rounded, in-depth, cutting-edge information on epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment for each type of tumor entity. This practical organization allows readers to efficiently access complete clinical knowledge on any form of neurological cancer.

With an annual rate of more than 12 million global diagnoses and 7.6 million deaths, the societal and economic burden of cancer cannot be overstated. Brain metastases are the most common malignant tumors of the central nervous system, yet their incidence appears to be increasing in spite of the advancement of cancer therapies. While much is known about primary cancers (including primary brain tumors), less work has been done to uncover the roots of metastatic disease. Brain Metastases from Primary Tumors Volume 1 fills that gap, serving as the first reference to focus primarily on the link between primary cancers and brain metastases. This link is explored for the most common cancer types – lung, breast, and melanoma. Additionally, biological background as well as therapy for CNS metastases is addressed. Age and gender related trends are also discussed, as is the use of biomarkers for early detection. The only comprehensive reference detailing the link between primary cancers and brain metastases Aids the target audience in determining the incidence of brain metastases in patients with a primary cancer Provided education about the potential use of biomarkers for early detection, diagnosis and prevention of the spread of primary cancer to the brain Documents temporal and gender-related trends in brain metastases from other cancers Edited work with chapters authored by leaders in the field around the globe – the broadest, most expert coverage available

This volume mainly contains information on the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of brain tumors. Insights on the understanding of molecular pathways involved in tumor biology are explained, which should lead to the development of effective drugs. Information on pathways (e.g., hedgehog) facilitates targeted therapies in cancer. Tumor models are also presented, which utilize expression data, pathway sensitivity, and genetic abnormalities, representing targets in cancer. For example, rat model of malignant brain tumors using implantation of doxorubicin with drug eluting beads for delivery is explained. The future of pathway-driven therapies for tumors is summarized. The importance of personalizing cancer care is emphasized. The need for supportive measures for survivors of brain cancer is pointed out, so is the quality of life monitoring. The need of rehabilitation therapy for patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors is also emphasized. Role of MicroRNA in distinguishing primary tumors from metastatic primary tumors is discussed. Advantages and limitations of chemotherapy (e.g., temozolomide and doxorubicin) are discussed. The complexity of tumor to tumor transfer is explained; examples discussed are: brain metastases from breast cancer and brain metastases fro non-small cell lung carcinoma. Identification and characterization of biomarkers, including those for metastatic brain tumors, are presented. Genomic analysis for identifying clinically relevant subtypes of glioblastoma is included. A large number of imaging modalities are detailed to study progression and invasion of gliomas