Re-Irradiation: New Frontiers


Book Description

This book, now in its second edition, provides a comprehensive overview of current re-irradiation strategies, with detailed discussion of re-irradiation methods, technical aspects, the role of combined therapy with anticancer drugs and hyperthermia, and normal tissue tolerance. In addition, disease specific chapters document recent clinical results and future research directions. All chapters from the first edition have been revised and updated to take account of the latest developments and research findings, including those from prospective studies. Due attention is paid to the exciting developments in the fields of proton irradiation and frameless image-guided ablative radiotherapy. The book documents fully how refined combined modality approaches and significant technical advances in radiation treatment planning and delivery have facilitated the re-irradiation of previously exposed volumes, allowing both palliative and curative approaches to be pursued at various disease sites. Professionals involved in radiation treatment planning and multimodal oncology treatment will find it to be an invaluable aid in understanding the benefits and limitations of re-irradiation and in designing prospective trials.




Handbook of Brain Tumor Chemotherapy, Molecular Therapeutics, and Immunotherapy


Book Description

Handbook of Brain Tumor Chemotherapy, Molecular Therapeutics, and Immunotherapy, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive overview of the molecular methodologies in the neuro-oncology field. There have been profound changes in the landscape of approaches to brain tumor therapy since the first edition—mainly in the areas of molecular biology and molecular therapeutics, as well as in the maturation of immunotherapy approaches (e.g., vaccines). This updated edition has a new, primary focus on multidisciplinary molecular methods, and is broadened to include the latest cutting-edge molecular biology, therapeutics, immunobiology and immunotherapy approaches. As the first comprehensive book to address the molecular research into these concepts, users will find it to be an invaluable resource on the topics discussed. - Provides the most up-to-date information regarding conventional forms of cytotoxic chemotherapy, as well as the basic science and clinical application of molecular therapeutics for the treatment of brain tumors - Broadly appeals to anyone interested in neuro-oncology and the treatment of brain tumors - Features updated chapters on molecular biology, molecular therapeutics, maturation of immunotherapy approaches, and a focus on multidisciplinary molecular methods - Includes a new section on the basic science of immunology, as well as thorough updates on the use of vaccine technology and immunotherapy for the treatment of brain tumors




Glioblastoma:


Book Description

Glioblastoma is the most malignant brain tumor that still remains incurable. It is such a deadly disease that patients do not survive more than a few months after diagnosis. Our understanding of the histopathology and molecular mechanisms of formation of glioblastoma is rapidly advancing so as to provide us clues for devising rational therapeutic strategies for treatment of this malignancy. It is important that we continue to improve our knowledge about the pathogenesis of this devastating disease and explore new areas to find successful therapeutic strategies. Various approaches such as sophisticated imaging techniques, improved surgical procedures, ground-breaking strategies for radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, chemoimmunotherapy, and photodynamic therapy are being used for eradicating glioblastoma. Hopefully, this book will be an important source of information on glioblastoma and therefore be highly useful to the students, postdoctoral fellows, principal investigators, and clinicians involved in this field.




Irreversible Electroporation


Book Description

Non-thermal irreversible electroporation is a new minimally invasive surgical p- cedure with unique molecular selectivity attributes – in fact it may be considered the first clinical molecular surgery procedure. Non-thermal irreversible electro- ration is a molecular selective mode of cell ablation that employs brief electrical fields to produce nanoscale defects in the cell membrane, which can lead to cell death, without an effect on any of the other tissue molecules. The electrical fields can be produced through contact by insertion of electrode needles around the undesirable tissue and non-invasively by electromagnetic induction. This new - dition to the medical armamentarium requires the active involvement and is of interest to clinical physicians, medical researchers, mechanical engineers, che- cal engineers, electrical engineers, instrumentation designers, medical companies and many other fields and disciplines that were never exposed in their training to irreversible electroporation or to a similar concept. This edited book is designed to be a comprehensive introduction to the field of irreversible electroporation to those that were not exposed or trained in the field before and can also serve as a reference manual. Irreversible electroporation is broad and interdisciplinary. Therefore, we have made an attempt to cover every one of the various aspects of the field from an introductory basic level to state of the art.




Brain Tumor Imaging


Book Description

This book describes the basics, the challenges and the limitations of state of the art brain tumor imaging and examines in detail its impact on diagnosis and treatment monitoring. It opens with an introduction to the clinically relevant physical principles of brain imaging. Since MR methodology plays a crucial role in brain imaging, the fundamental aspects of MR spectroscopy, MR perfusion and diffusion-weighted MR methods are described, focusing on the specific demands of brain tumor imaging. The potential and the limits of new imaging methodology are carefully addressed and compared to conventional MR imaging. In the main part of the book, the most important imaging criteria for the differential diagnosis of solid and necrotic brain tumors are delineated and illustrated in examples. A closing section is devoted to the use of MR methods for the monitoring of brain tumor therapy. The book is intended for radiologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, oncologists and other scientists in the biomedical field with an interest in neuro-oncology.




Imaging Gliomas After Treatment


Book Description

This atlas is a detailed guide to the imaging appearances of gliomas following treatment with neurosurgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Normal and pathological findings are displayed in detailed MR images that illustrate the potential modifications due to treatment. Particular emphasis is placed on characteristic appearances on the newer functional MR imaging techniques, including MR spectroscopy, diffusion-weighted imaging, and perfusion imaging. These techniques are revolutionizing neuroradiology by going beyond the demonstration of macroscopic alterations to the depiction of preceding metabolic changes at the cellular and subcellular level, thereby allowing earlier and more specific diagnosis. A key section comprising some 40 clinical cases and more than 500 illustrations offers an invaluable clinical and research tool not only for neuroradiologists but also for neurosurgeons, radiotherapists, and medical oncologists.




Brain Tumor Immunotherapy


Book Description

An authoritative panel of researchers and clinicians critically reviews the entire field to provide a comprehensive guide to modern brain tumor immunotherapy and thereby enhance future research in this area. The contributors detail many of the key laboratory experiments and clinical protocols that are currently being investigated, integrate the available information from previous and ongoing research, and help define the current status of the field. Topics range from adoptive cellular and antibody-mediated immunotherapy of brain tumors to tumor vaccines and related strategies, and include many vanguard experimental strategies and immunological techniques for studying brain tumor immunotherapy. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Brain Tumor Immunotherapy brings together all the important recent advances in our understanding of central nervous system tumor immunology and illustrates in powerful detail the many new applications now harnessing the immune response for brain tumor therapeutics.







Glioma


Book Description

The past three decades have been marked with huge enthusiasm from scientists and professionals in an effort to find a cure for glioma disease. Methods to confirm the kinds and grades of glioma have taken a path from classical macro- to microscopic pathohystological confirmation of tumors, through morphological-histological, molecular, and genetic diagnosis. Surgically, progress was made possible with the development and use of technological aids, for example neuronavigation, cortical mapping, electrocorticography, neuromonitoring, functional and intraoperative MRI, magnetoencephalography, etc. Great hope was placed on the extension of tumor resection and popular supratotal resection. Significant progress has been made generally in glioma treatment with the use of modern radiotherapy and new chemotherapeutics. What do we want to see for the future? By way of stem cells, a specific medicine will be produced, individualized for the particular patient, and by using a microcapsule it will be implanted into the brain zone affected by the tumor by way of robot surgery and injection needle. This is not at all an unrealistic expectation in the next decade or two.




The Duke Glioma Handbook


Book Description

Provides a summary of glioma biology, genetics and management, based on the world-leading Duke University Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center program.