The Biology Of Melanomas

This extensive book brings together leading melanoma researchers from across the world and highlights many of the cutting-edge protocols and experimental systems currently being used to investigate questions surrounding this disease. The volume opens with sections on 2D and 3D cell culture-based approaches for studying melanoma biology, and continues with collections of chapters examining various approaches for detecting, isolating, and characterizing circulating melanoma cells, circulating tumor DNA, and exosomes, as well as experimental procedures for studying and detecting melanoma metastasis in both pre-clinical and clinical settings, bioinformatics-based approaches, protocols for quantifying and characterizing immune cell infiltrates in both melanoma tumors and tertiary lymphoid structures, and development and evaluation of therapeutic strategies for melanoma treatment. 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. Authoritative and comprehensive, Melanoma: Methods and Protocols aims to serve basic research scientists and clinicians who bring questions from the clinic into the lab in order to translate observations in the laboratory into improved patient care for this highly malignant form of cancer. Chapter 14 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book focuses on malignant melanoma, discussing the current state of scientific knowledge and providing insights into the underlying basic mechanisms, the molecular changes, genetics and genomics. Human Melanoma is a dangerous type of skin cancer affecting an increasing population, and a better understanding of its development will help in finding sophisticated targeted therapies. The second revised edition features the latest research findings and offers updates on the latest advances and potential novel melanoma therapies. It is a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians working in the fields of melanoma, cancer research and therapy as well as dermatology.

This book provides a comprehensive examination of uveal melanoma, a rare neoplasm that carries a very high mortality and whose natural history makes it fairly unique among adult tumors. Split into three sections, this book explores the basic science behind the disease and inherited genetic syndromes that predispose some patients, as well as the pathology and use of gene expression profiling to determine risk of recurrence. It also focuses on the management of the primary tumor in the eye, including surgical intervention and lesion imaging. Elucidating treatment options for metastatic disease, the book reviews chemotherapy agents and immunotherapy approaches, as well as liver-directed therapies, cellular therapies, and various treatments after primary treatment but before the development of metastases. Uveal Melanoma: Biology and Management is the most up-to-date and comprehensive text devoted solely to this disease and will be useful to medical oncologists, ophthalmologists, radiation therapists, interventional radiologists, pathologists, molecular biologists and immunology researchers, as well as trainees in those fields.

Knowledge about diagnostic procedures in melanoma has in creased rapidly within the past few years. Single tumor cells have been identified in normal tissue such as sentinel lymph nodes, as well as in bone marrow, peripheral blood, and other bodily fluids and cells, by molecular technologies. The introduction of polymerase chain reaction-based methods can be regarded as a prototype of this dramatic development towards molecular approaches in new diagnostic procedures. This fact opens up the possibility of clinical use in patients and of influencing treatment strategies. Considerable discrepancies have been described, how ever, in the success rates of these new techniques for the detec tion of minimal residual disease in cancer patients. Despite fav orable results reported by different groups of investigators, it will take several years to define the clinical and pathophysiological relevance of new diagnostic procedures. The 1st International Symposium "Minimal Residual Disease in Melanoma: Biology, Detection and Clinical Relevance of Microme tastases", held in September 1999 in Homburg/Saar, Germany, fo cused on recent developments in this particular area of cancer re search. The purpose of the meeting was to stimulate discussion and exchange of new data and ideas by renowned international scientists. The aim of this volume is to summarize major topics of basic research and clinical investigations presented by invited experts in this fascinating but still. controversial field of melanoma re search.

Leading researchers and clinicians join forces to explain how malignant melanoma develops from its benign precursor cell type. The authors focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in melanogenesis, in the malignant transformation of melanocytes, and in the further progression of primary melanomas into invasive and metastatic melanomas. They also review recent advances in our understanding of the basic biology of melanocytes and the development, migration, and differentiation of melanoblasts into melanocytes. The book provides an up-to-date understanding of the progressive mechanisms of oncological development in malignant melanoma, a likely model of malignant progress for other types of cancer, and the ongoing development of novel therapeutics.

The book Recent Advances in the Biology, Therapy and Management of Melanoma brings up-to-date information regarding a number of aspects which culminate in illuminating potential targets in the fight against melanoma. This book is intended to be a reference book for both the scientific and clinical communities and brings complicated subject matter together in an easy, readable way. Undoubtedly fundamental scientific understanding has to then be translated to the clinic in order for us to make significant strides in eradicating melanoma. It is hoped that scientists, clinicians, students and residents find this book useful in their studies on melanoma and that it not only expands their perspectives and views on the field, but challenges them to forge ahead towards discovering the ultimate cure.