Melanoma is considered to be one of the most aggressive forms of skin neoplasms. Despite aggressive researches towards finding treatments, no effective therapy exists to inhibit the metastatic spread of malignant melanoma. The 5-year survival rate of metastatic melanoma is still significantly low, and there has been an earnest need to develop more effective therapies with greater anti-melanoma activity. Through the accomplishment of over 100 distinguished and respected researchers from 19 different countries, this book covers a wide range of aspects from various standpoints and issues related to melanoma. These include the biology of melanoma, pigmentations, pathways, receptors and diagnosis, and the latest treatments and therapies to make potential new therapies. Not only will this be beneficial for readers, but it will also contribute to scientists making further breakthroughs in melanoma research.
This text serves as a very useful clinical guide and realistic approach to the clinical management of melanoma. Primary care physicians, specialists from varying areas of medical practice and numerous other healthcare providers will find this text to be quite useful as a standard daily reference and use in the office setting. It provides a clear and concise source of information in order to make real-life, evidence-based decisions for all aspects of management for cutaneous melanoma. This book also provides the latest breakthroughs in melanoma research, ranging from recent discoveries in genomics and epigenetics, to newly identified genes that have been selectively targeted for the development of a personalized approach to treatment. All chapters are written by specialists and true experts within their respective fields, incorporating the latest scientific, clinical and evidence-based medicine for melanoma (and non-melanoma skin cancers). This up-to-date information can be easily applied and translated to the clinical setting for the melanoma patient.
The book Recent Advances in the Biology, Therapy and Management of Melanoma brings up-to-date information regarding a number of aspects which culminate in illuminating potential targets in the fight against melanoma. This book is intended to be a reference book for both the scientific and clinical communities and brings complicated subject matter together in an easy, readable way. Undoubtedly fundamental scientific understanding has to then be translated to the clinic in order for us to make significant strides in eradicating melanoma. It is hoped that scientists, clinicians, students and residents find this book useful in their studies on melanoma and that it not only expands their perspectives and views on the field, but challenges them to forge ahead towards discovering the ultimate cure.
Cutaneous Melanoma: A Pocket Guide for Diagnosis and Management serves as an easy-to-consult, short, and schematic reference providing guidelines for diagnosing and managing melanoma in the context of various clinical scenarios. In the daily routine of a busy clinician, there is a need for schematic reference tools that allow quick consultation for immediate decisions. Melanoma is a deadly disease that should be promptly managed following precise and evidence-based guidelines. The guide contains many schematics and figures, vastly outnumbering the pages dedicated to text. This guide follows the sequence of a real clinical setting, going from the first screening visit to the final stages of terminal patients. - Provides a quick-access resource for diagnosis and treatment of melanoma patients at all stages - Includes succinct guidelines, schematics, and figures for busy clinicians - Concludes with a section addressing special clinical situations, including melanoma in pregnancy, pediatric melanoma, familial melanoma and MPM, atypical Spitz tumor, occult primary melanoma, and the histopathologic gray zone
Animal Models in Cancer Drug Discovery brings forward the most cutting-edge developments in tumor model systems for translational cancer research. The reader can find under this one volume virtually all types of existing and emerging tumor models in use by the research community. This book provides a deeper insight on how these newer models could de-risk modern drug discovery. Areas covered include up to date information on latest organoid derived models and newer genetic models. Additionally, the book discusses humanized animal tumor models for cancer immunotherapy and how they leverage personalized therapies. The chapter on larger animal, canine models and their use in and their use in pre-investigational new drug (pre-IND) development makes the volume unique. Unlike before, the incorporation of several simplified protocols, breeding methodologies, handling and assessment procedures to study drug intervention makes this book a must read. Animal Models in Cancer Drug Discovery is a valuable resource for basic and translational cancer researchers, drug discovery researchers, contract research organizations, and knowledge seekers at all levels in the biomedical field.
The book Research on Melanoma: A Glimpse into Current Directions and Future Trends, is divided into sections to represent the most cutting-edge topics in melanoma from around the world. The emerging epigenetics of disease, novel therapeutics under development and the molecular signaling aberrations are explained in detail. Since there are a number of areas in which unknowns exist surrounding the complex development of melanoma and its response to therapy, this book illuminates and comprehensively discusses such aspects. It is relevant for teaching the novice researcher who wants to initiate projects in melanoma and the more senior researcher seeking to polish their existing knowledge in this area. Many chapters include visuals and illustrations designed to easily guide the reader through the ideas presented.
"The author, a researcher in oncology, studies the cellular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. In this book written for a popular audience, the author takes a step back from the details of cells to look at the broader issue of how aging affects cancer"--
Advances in cancer research have led to an improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the development of cancer and how the immune system responds to cancer. This influx of research has led to an increasing number and variety of therapies in the drug development pipeline, including targeted therapies and associated biomarker tests that can select which patients are most likely to respond, and immunotherapies that harness the body's immune system to destroy cancer cells. Compared with standard chemotherapies, these new cancer therapies may demonstrate evidence of benefit and clearer distinctions between efficacy and toxicity at an earlier stage of development. However, there is a concern that the traditional processes for cancer drug development, evaluation, and regulatory approval could impede or delay the use of these promising cancer treatments in clinical practice. This has led to a number of effortsâ€"by patient advocates, the pharmaceutical industry, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)â€"to accelerate the review of promising new cancer therapies, especially for cancers that currently lack effective treatments. However, generating the necessary data to confirm safety and efficacy during expedited drug development programs can present a unique set of challenges and opportunities. To explore this new landscape in cancer drug development, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine developed a workshop held in December 2016. This workshop convened cancer researchers, patient advocates, and representatives from industry, academia, and government to discuss challenges with traditional approaches to drug development, opportunities to improve the efficiency of drug development, and strategies to enhance the information available about a cancer therapy throughout its life cycle in order to improve its use in clinical practice. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
Cancer cell biology research in general, and anti-cancer drug development specifically, still relies on standard cell culture techniques that place the cells in an unnatural environment. As a consequence, growing tumor cells in plastic dishes places a selective pressure that substantially alters their original molecular and phenotypic properties.The emerging field of regenerative medicine has developed bioengineered tissue platforms that can better mimic the structure and cellular heterogeneity of in vivo tissue, and are suitable for tumor bioengineering research. Microengineering technologies have resulted in advanced methods for creating and culturing 3-D human tissue. By encapsulating the respective cell type or combining several cell types to form tissues, these model organs can be viable for longer periods of time and are cultured to develop functional properties similar to native tissues. This approach recapitulates the dynamic role of cell–cell, cell–ECM, and mechanical interactions inside the tumor. Further incorporation of cells representative of the tumor stroma, such as endothelial cells (EC) and tumor fibroblasts, can mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment. Collectively, bioengineered tumors create an important resource for the in vitro study of tumor growth in 3D including tumor biomechanics and the effects of anti-cancer drugs on 3D tumor tissue. These technologies have the potential to overcome current limitations to genetic and histological tumor classification and development of personalized therapies.
