Treatment Of Cancer

Treatment of Cancer is a multi-author work and comprehensive guide on modern cancer treatment that aims to give clinician and student alike the framework for an integrated approach to patient care, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Much information is presented in tables and charts for easy assimilation, and clear algorithms for patient pathways are included to make decisions straightforward while allowing for sound clinical judgement.

Early recognition and management of adverse effects of cancer treatments are essential for optimal care of patients with cancer, and drastically different approaches are required for different physiologic reactions. Handbook of Cancer Treatment-Related Symptoms and Toxicities is a focused, one-stop resource that enables clinicians to quickly find up-to-date, reliable information needed at the point of care. The high-yield approach prioritizes the most common toxicities associated with cancer treatment, and concise, templated chapters offer fast access to information needed in day-to-day practice. Presents a user-friendly overview of cancer treatment-related symptoms and toxicities management in a practical, easy-to-use format, allowing you to quickly find information in one convenient, concise resource. Covers systemic and radiation therapies, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and radiation therapy, detailing symptoms of each toxicity to confirm your diagnosis. Overviews pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches to symptom management. Offers recommendations for mitigating toxicities in high-risk patients. Discusses key topics such as management of infusion reactions, when the need for biopsy is warranted, and the unique challenges posed by novel immunotherapies.

This work covers the pathophysiology of cancer, exploring the difficulty of optimal treatment due to the complexity and diversity of cancer types. The search for distinctive molecular biology characteristics of tumor cells is especially relevant in the identification of overexpressed receptors and proteins that can be used as a target for cancer treatment. We highlight the main therapeutic modalities, particularly conventional systemic chemotherapy, addressing its mechanisms of action, therapeutic classes and even the toxic effects. We also describe the main tumor markers, their importance in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and the specificity of tumor cells. The first chapters serve as an introduction to the central topic of this book, targeted therapy. Key aspects of target therapy, such as classes of drugs, immunotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines and tyrosine kinase inhibitors are presented, and, for each one, the benefits, as well as the adverse effects are reported. Chapter 6 compares conventional systemic chemotherapy and targeted therapy, identifies the risks and benefits and also the eligibility criteria for patient care. The possibility of targeted therapy replacing conventional chemotherapy is discussed while reviewing studies that demonstrate the benefits of combining both types of treatment. Finally, the introduction of pharmaceutical nanotechnology to improve antineoplastic agents is addressed in the last chapter and sets the direction for future research in cancer treatment. This is a valuable resource for many health professionals including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, researchers and students interested in the field of oncology.

Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has emerged as an important innovative treatment for various primary and metastatic cancers. This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the physical/technological, biological, and clinical aspects of SBRT. It will serve as a detailed resource for this rapidly developing treatment modality. The organ sites covered include lung, liver, spine, pancreas, prostate, adrenal, head and neck, and female reproductive tract. Retrospective studies and prospective clinical trials on SBRT for various organ sites from around the world are examined, and toxicities and normal tissue constraints are discussed. This book features unique insights from world-renowned experts in SBRT from North America, Asia, and Europe. It will be necessary reading for radiation oncologists, radiation oncology residents and fellows, medical physicists, medical physics residents, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and cancer scientists.

This book explains how current medicines against cancer work and how we find new ones. It provides an easy-to-understand overview of current options to treat patients with cancer, which includes Surgery, Radiation therapy, Chemotherapy, Targeted therapy and Immunotherapy. The efficiency of all these treatments is limited by the capacity of cancer cells to escape therapy. This book explains the mechanisms of anti-cancer drug resistance and strategies to overcome it. The discovery and development process of a new drug is detailed beginning with the identification and validation of a therapeutic target, the identification of an inhibitor of the target and its subsequent preclinical and clinical development until its approval by regulatory authorities. Particular emphasis has been given to specific aspects of the development process including lead generation and optimization, pharmacokinetics, ADME analysis, pharmacodynamics, toxicity and efficacy assessment, investigational new drug (IND) and new drug application (NDA) and the design of clinical trial and their phases. The book covers many aspects of modern personalized oncology and discusses economic aspects of our current system of developing new medicines and its impact on our societies and on future drug research. The author of this book, Dr. Link counts with more than 20 years of experience in biomedical research reflected in numerous publications, patents and key note and plenary presentations at international conferences. Interested readers, students and teachers should read this book as it provides a unique way to learn/teach about basic concepts in oncology and anti-cancer drug research.

Countless medical researchers over the past century have been occupied by the search for a cure of cancer. So far, they have developed and implemented a wide range of treatment techniques, including surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy, antiangiogenic drugs, small molecule inhibitors, and oncolytic viruses. However, patterns of these treatments' effectiveness remain largely unclear, and a better understanding of how cancer therapies work has become a key research goal. Cancer Treatment in Silico provides the first in-depth study of approaching this understanding by modeling cancer treatments, both mathematically and through computer simulations. The main goal of this book is to help expose students and researchers to in silico methods of studying cancer. It is intended for both the applied mathematics and experimental oncology communities, as mathematical models are playing an increasingly important role to supplement laboratory biology in the fight against cancer. Written at a level that generally requires little technical background, the work will be a valuable resource for scientists and students alike.