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Ecology and Evolution of Cancer

Author : Beata Ujvari

Publisher : Academic Press

Page : 292 pages

File Size : 23,64 MB

Release : 2017-02-08

Category : Medical

ISBN : 0128043806

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Book Description

Ecology and Evolution of Cancer is a timely work outlining ideas that not only represent a substantial and original contribution to the fields of evolution, ecology, and cancer, but also goes beyond by connecting the interfaces of these disciplines. This work engages the expertise of a multidisciplinary research team to collate and review the latest knowledge and developments in this exciting research field. The evolutionary perspective of cancer has gained significant international recognition and interest, which is fully understandable given that somatic cellular selection and evolution are elegant explanations for carcinogenesis. Cancer is now generally accepted to be an evolutionary and ecological process with complex interactions between tumor cells and their environment sharing many similarities with organismal evolution. As a critical contribution to this field of research the book is important and relevant for the applications of evolutionary biology to understand the origin of cancers, to control neoplastic progression, and to prevent therapeutic failures. - Covers all aspects of the evolution of cancer, appealing to researchers seeking to understand its origins and effects of treatments on its progression, as well as to lecturers in evolutionary medicine - Functions as both an introduction to cancer and evolution and a review of the current research on this burgeoning, exciting field, presented by an international group of leading editors and contributors - Improves understanding of the origin and the evolution of cancer, aiding efforts to determine how this disease interferes with biotic interactions that govern ecosystems - Highlights research that intends to apply evolutionary principles to help predict emergence and metastatic progression with the aim of improving therapies



Tumor Ecosystem

Author : Erwei Song

Publisher : Springer Nature

Page : 697 pages

File Size : 29,43 MB

Release : 2023-07-20

Category : Medical

ISBN : 9819911834

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Book Description

This book intends to report new concept of onco-spheres in cancer ecosystem. Onco-spheres are defined as where cancer cells (living organisms) dynamically interact with nontumor cellular (other living organisms) and noncellular components (non-living environmental factors) in the ‘host’ internal environment (habitat) to construct a self-sustainable cancer ecosystem, which can be scoped at three different levels: primary/regional, distal and systemic onco-spheres. Cancer cells should be conceived as ‘living organisms’, interacting with cellular or noncellular components in the host internal environment, not only with the local tumor microenvironment (TME) but also constantly communicating with a distant organ niche as well interacting with the host’s nervous, endocrine and immune systems, to construct a self-sustainable ‘biosphere’, as we termed the tumor ecosystem. By looking at the interaction of cancer and host as a unique ecosystem, we will use ecology principles to further delineate the features of the dynamics of the tumor ecosystem. As the pioneer in proposing this concept, we feel that this full-scale overview of the tumor ecosystem is able to inform the readers about this concept, and to pave the way for designing novel therapeutic strategies on actionable targets within tumor ecosystem. The book is likely to be of interest to immunologist, biologist, medical students, researchers and general public who wish to learn more on this new concept of tumor ecosystem, and how this could be applied in many fields of research.



The Cheating Cell

Author : Athena Aktipis

Publisher : Princeton University Press

Page : 256 pages

File Size : 19,98 MB

Release : 2020-03-24

Category : Medical

ISBN : 0691163847

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Book Description

A fundamental and groundbreaking reassessment of how we view and manage cancer When we think of the forces driving cancer, we don’t necessarily think of evolution. But evolution and cancer are closely linked because the historical processes that created life also created cancer. The Cheating Cell delves into this extraordinary relationship, and shows that by understanding cancer’s evolutionary origins, researchers can come up with more effective, revolutionary treatments. Athena Aktipis goes back billions of years to explore when unicellular forms became multicellular organisms. Within these bodies of cooperating cells, cheating ones arose, overusing resources and replicating out of control, giving rise to cancer. Aktipis illustrates how evolution has paved the way for cancer’s ubiquity, and why it will exist as long as multicellular life does. Even so, she argues, this doesn’t mean we should give up on treating cancer—in fact, evolutionary approaches offer new and promising options for the disease’s prevention and treatments that aim at long-term management rather than simple eradication. Looking across species—from sponges and cacti to dogs and elephants—we are discovering new mechanisms of tumor suppression and the many ways that multicellular life-forms have evolved to keep cancer under control. By accepting that cancer is a part of our biological past, present, and future—and that we cannot win a war against evolution—treatments can become smarter, more strategic, and more humane. Unifying the latest research from biology, ecology, medicine, and social science, The Cheating Cell challenges us to rethink cancer’s fundamental nature and our relationship to it.





Cancer Ecosystems

Author : Ubaldo E. Martinez-Outschoorn

Publisher : Frontiers Media SA

Page : 226 pages

File Size : 20,40 MB

Release : 2019-11-27

Category :

ISBN : 2889631753

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Book Description



Cancer Signaling

Author : Christoph Wagener

Publisher : John Wiley & Sons

Page : 357 pages

File Size : 20,10 MB

Release : 2016-08-12

Category : Science

ISBN : 352780045X

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Book Description

Cancer, which has become the second-most prevalent health issue globally, is essentially a malfunction of cell signaling. Understanding how the intricate signaling networks of cells and tissues allow cancer to thrive - and how they can be turned into potent weapons against it - is the key to managing cancer in the clinic and improving the outcome of cancer therapies. In their ground-breaking textbook, the authors provide a compelling story of how cancer works on the molecular level, and how targeted therapies using kinase inhibitors and other modulators of signaling pathways can contain and eventually cure it. The first part of the book gives an introduction into the cell and molecular biology of cancer, focusing on the key mechanisms of cancer formation. The second part of the book introduces the main signaling transduction mechanisms responsible for carcinogenesis and compares their function in healthy versus cancer cells. In contrast to the complexity of its topic, the text is easy to read. 32 specially prepared teaching videos on key concepts and pathways in cancer signaling are available online for users of the print edition and have been integrated into the text in the enhanced e-book edition.



Cellular and Molecular Biology of Mammary Cancer

Author : E. Anderson

Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media

Page : 519 pages

File Size : 39,45 MB

Release : 2012-12-06

Category : Science

ISBN : 1461309433

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Book Description

The idea for this book arose during the 1985 Gordon Conference on "Mammary Gland Biology". New developments in the methodology of cell biology and the explosive growth of molecular biology had begun to impact upon our understanding of mammary gland growth and function. It seemed a propitious time for summarizing the current status of knowledge of the cell and molecular biology of mammary cancer and for attempting to outline future areas of concern and interest. The reviews presented here were completed by the Fall of 1986. Although new insights will surely continue to emerge, it is hoped that the material in this volume will form not only a current update but a basic core of information for future experiments. We have not attempted to cover all areas of mammary gland transformation. Those areas where recent detailed reviews are already available have been omitted. Also, the areas of normal gland development, cell ultrastructure, hormone responsiveness, chemotherapy and clinical aspects of mammary cancer have not been included. Instead, we have selected those areas where the development of new methodology, reagents and results have led to new ideas about mammary gland function and development as they are related to neoplasia.



Adaptive Oncogenesis

Author : James DeGregori

Publisher : Harvard University Press

Page : 289 pages

File Size : 30,10 MB

Release : 2018-03-09

Category : Science

ISBN : 0674545397

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Book Description

Popular understanding holds that genetic changes create cancer. James DeGregori uses evolutionary principles to propose a new way of thinking about cancerÕs occurrence. Cancer is as much a disease of evolution as it is of mutation, one in which mutated cells outcompete healthy cells in the ecosystem of the bodyÕs tissues. His theory ties cancerÕs progression, or lack thereof, to evolved strategies to maximize reproductive success. Through natural selection, humans evolved genetic programs to maintain bodily health for as long as necessary to increase the odds of passing on our genesÑbut not much longer. These mechanisms engender a tissue environment that favors normal stem cells over precancerous ones. Healthy tissues thwart cancer cellsÕ ability to outcompete their precancerous rivals. But as our tissues age or accumulate damage from exposures such as smoking, normal stem cells find themselves less optimized to their ecosystem. Cancer-causing mutations can now help cells adapt to these altered tissue environments, and thus outcompete normal cells. Just as changes in a speciesÕ habitat favor the evolution of new species, changes in tissue environments favor the growth of cancerous cells. DeGregoriÕs perspective goes far in explaining who gets cancer, when it appears, and why. While we cannot avoid mutations, it may be possible to sustain our tissuesÕ natural and effective system of defense, even in the face of aging or harmful exposures. For those interested in learning how cancers arise within the human body, the insights in Adaptive Oncogenesis offer a compelling perspective.