Viruses Cell Transformation And Cancer

Viruses are the agent responsible for perhaps up to one million cases of cancer worldwide each year. Significantly, the study of viruses has also provided important clues to the causes and development of the most common human cancers. This volume presents an account of those viruses which have been directly associated with common human malignancies such as human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical carcinoma, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Burkitt's lymphoma. In addition, the biology and biochemistry of those viruses which have been shown to be capable of transforming cells in culture are described in detail. Thus adenovirus are discussed, as are the other small DNA tumour viruses - Simian virus 40 (SV40) and polyoma virus. Consideration has also been given to human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human herpes virus 8 (HHV8), amongst others. General themes such as the host's immune response to viral infection, virally-induced apoptosis and the use of viruses as a delivery system in gene therapy have been discussed. Individual chapters have been written by an international group of experts in their own field of research.

Approximately 15% of human cancer incidence can be attributed to virus infection, i.e. viruses represent the second most important risk factor (after tobacco consumption) for cancer development in humans. Today, five virus types are known to be involved in causing human cancer: papillomaviruses, retroviruses, herpesviruses, hepadnaviruses, and flaviviruses. This volume provides a comprehensive review of a number of DNA tumor viruses. Leading experts in the field of tumor virology discuss up-to-date information, focusing on the transforming genes of DNA tumor viruses, the mechanisms of transformation and the in vitro methodology used for their identification and characterization. In vitro studies have revealed several common mechanisms of viral transformation. Presented in a clear and concise manner, this book will be of value to students as well as researchers in the fields of general biology, molecular biology, cell biology and microbiology.

The time seems ripe for a critical compendium of that segment of the biological universe we call viruses. Virology, as a science, having passed only recently through its descriptive phase of naming and num bering, has probably reached that stage at which relatively few new truly new-viruses will be discovered. Triggered by the intellectual probes and techniques of molecular biology, genetics, biochemical cytology, and high-resolution microscopy and spectroscopy, the field has experienced a genuine information explosion. Few serious attempts have been made to chronicle these events. This comprehensive series, which will comprise some 6000 pages in a total of about 22 volumes, represents a commitment by a large group of active investigators to analyze, digest, and expostulate on the great mass of data relating to viruses, much of which is now amorphous and disjointed, and scattered throughout a wide literature. In this way, we hope to place the entire field in perspective, and to develop an invaluable reference and sourcebook for researchers and students at all levels. This series is designed as a continuum that can be entered anywhere, but which also provides a logical progression of developing facts and integrated concepts.

Viral Transformation and Endogenous Viruses is a collection of papers presented at the symposium on ""Viral Transformation and Endogenous Viruses"" held at Vanderbilt University on April 1-2, 1974. Contributors discuss the viral function(s) responsible for the transformation of the cells that are infected with oncogenic viruses, emphasizing the type of changes that characterize transformed cells and the regulatory mechanisms that are altered after malignant transformations. This volume is organized into 10 chapters and begins with an overview of DNA-containing tumor viruses, particularly Simian Virus 40 (SV40) and its mutants with DNA deletions, insertions, and duplications. The integration and transcription of adenovirus DNA is considered, along with the characteristics of temperature-sensitive mutants of these viruses. The reader is then introduced to the chemistry and biology of RNA-containing tumor viruses, which are useful reagents to study neoplastic transformation both in vivo and in vitro. A major aspect of these viruses concerns the analysis of their genome at the chemical and genetic levels. The last part of the book is devoted to biochemical and genetic analyses of endogenous viruses isolated from avian cells. This book is a valuable resource for scientists and investigators in fields such as pathology, molecular virology, molecular biology, microbiology, oncology, and biochemistry.

Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine, Ninth Edition, offers a balanced view of the most current knowledge of cancer science and clinical oncology practice. This all-new edition is the consummate reference source for medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, internists, surgical oncologists, and others who treat cancer patients. A translational perspective throughout, integrating cancer biology with cancer management providing an in depth understanding of the disease An emphasis on multidisciplinary, research-driven patient care to improve outcomes and optimal use of all appropriate therapies Cutting-edge coverage of personalized cancer care, including molecular diagnostics and therapeutics Concise, readable, clinically relevant text with algorithms, guidelines and insight into the use of both conventional and novel drugs Includes free access to the Wiley Digital Edition providing search across the book, the full reference list with web links, illustrations and photographs, and post-publication updates

The first identification of a tumor-causing virus, Rous sarcoma virus, occurred almost 100 years ago, but it was not until the 1970s that the genetic basis for oncogenesis by this and other acutely transforming retroviruses was appreciated. Since then, numerous viral oncogenes and their corresponding cellular proto-oncogene counterparts have been identified, and these studies have contributed much to our understanding of crucially important aspects of cell biology and transformation.This book provides an up-to-date overview of the 6 major viruses that cause human cancers - HPV, HBV, HCV, EBV, KSHV and HTLV-1 - with respect to their molecular biology and epidemiology and to clinical aspects of disease, therapy and prevention. Contributed by over a dozen internationally renowned scientists, the chapters are comprehensively written and illustrated. The book is suitable for advanced students, postdoctoral researchers, scientists and clinicians who wish to understand the mechanisms leading to cellular transformation and oncogenesis by these viruses as a basis for the development of specific therapeutic and antiviral treatments.

Topics covered range from an overview of the contribution of DNA tumour viruses to the cancer burden worldwide, and the molecular pathogenesis of virus driven cancers to vaccine development.