Book Description

The Cancer Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of scientific and clinical information in cancer research and medicine (oncology). This area is one of the most intensively studied in biology and medicine, resulting in a huge amount of new information being published every year. This book summarizes and explains key facts and recent developments. It is aimed at a wide variety of readers who need easy access to knowledge concerning all major aspects of cancer biology, without too much clinical detail or specialist research material. The Cancer Handbook stands out from existing oncology textbooks and reference works in that it bridges the gap between the molecular biology of cancer and clinical diagnosis and treatment. As more and more laboratory research is applied to clinical management, e.g. the use of monoclonal antibodies as drugs, it is important that clinicians understand the aetiology of the disease and the molecular basis of the new therapeutic approaches. It is also important for laboratory scientists to appreciate the potential applications of their research and the practical issues involved in translating it to clinical practice. For this second edition, all the sections have been fully revised and updated, with new chapters addressing important topics that have gained prominence in recent years. New editors and authors have brought additional expertise to the project. For example, in the section on the Molecular and Cellular Basis of Cancer, there are new chapters on stem cells, epigenetics, and microRNAs, as well as chapters on the links between cancer and development and inflammation. In the Treatment section, the emphasis is now on multidisciplinary team management of different cancers, plus there are new chapters on clinical trial design, RNA interference and rational drug design. The page design and the quality of the diagrams has been improved, with all illustrations now in full colour. The glossary has been made more informative and easy to use.