Main description:

The Biology of Cancer is a textbook for undergraduate and graduate biology students as well as medical students studying the molecular and cellular bases of cancer. The book presents the principles of cancer biology in an organized, cogent, and in-depth manner. The clarity of writing and the lucid full-color art program make the book accessible and engaging. The information unfolds through the presentation of key experiments which give readers a sense of discovery and provides insights into the conceptual foundation underlying modern cancer biology. The Biology of Cancer synthesizes the findings of three decades of recent cancer research and proposes a conceptual framework from which to teach about these discoveries. It provides the necessary structure, organization, and content for a course on cancer biology for advanced undergraduates and beginning doctoral students. The book is comprehensive and offers many pedagogical features to assist teaching and learning. The book includes many recent and topical references, and is intended to empower the student to move directly into the primary research literature.
The text is up-to-date and provides current information on topics such as tumor stem cells and recently introduced chemotherapeutics. State-of-the-art techniques are discussed throughout. Modern biomedical research is explored, helping readers to hone their analytical abilities and to assimilate and think clearly about complex biological processes. The Biology of Cancer provides insights into many aspects of immunology, developmental biology, and neurobiology. The exceptional full-color art program contains many images published for the first time. The book is extensively illustrated with schematic drawings, micrographs, computer-generated models and graphs. The pieces were chosen to support and clarify the concepts, as well as to supply additional interest. Besides its value as a textbook, The Biology of Cancer will be a useful reference for individuals working in biomedical laboratories, and for clinical professionals.

Contents:

1. The Biology and Genetics of Cells and Organisms 2. The Nature of Cancer 3. Tumor Viruses 4. Cellular Oncogenes 5. Growth Factors and their Receptors 6. Cytoplasmic Signaling Circuitry Programs Many of the Traits of Cancer 7. Tumor Suppressor Genes 8. pRb and Control of the Cell Cycle Clock 9. p53 and Apoptosis: Master Guardian and Executioner 10. Eternal Life: Cell Immortalization and Tumorigenesis 11. Multistep Tumorigenesis 12. Maintenance of Genomic Integrity and the Development of Cancer 13. Dialogue Replaces Monologue: Heterotypic Interactions and the Biology of Angiogenesis 14. Moving Out: Invasion and Metastasis 15. Crowd Control: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy 16. The Rational Treatment of Cancer