Here is a thorough survey of the biology and treatment of CNS metastasis, including natural history, risk factors, molecular biology, the blood-brain barrier, imaging, quality of life, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and the future of targeted therapies.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of brain metastases, from the molecular biology aspects to therapeutic management and perspectives. Due to the increasing incidence of these tumors and the urgent need to effectively control brain metastatic diseases in these patients, new therapeutic strategies have emerged in recent years. The volume discusses all these innovative approaches combined with new surgical techniques (fluorescence, functional mapping, integrated navigation), novel radiation therapy techniques (stereotactic radiosurgery) and new systemic treatment approaches such as targeted- and immunotherapy. These combination strategies represent a new therapeutic model in brain metastatic patients in which each medical practitioner (neurosurgeon, neurologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist) plays a pivotal role in defining the optimal treatment in a multidisciplinary approach. Written by recognized experts in the field, this book is a valuable tool for neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, neuroradiologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, cognitive therapists, basic scientists and students working in the area of brain tumors.
Most cancer deaths are a result of metastasis. The spread of a primary tumor to colonize neighboring and distant organs is the relentless endgame that defines the neoplastic process. Patients who have been diagnosed with cancer are treated to prevent both the recurrence of the tumor at the site of origin and metastasis that would re-stage them as advanced stage IV cancer. Historically and still with some types of cancer, stage IV is perceived by patients as “terminal.” Fortunately, recent molecular therapies have extended the lives of patients with advanced cancer and reassuringly people living with metastatic disease increasingly visit our clinics. What is the path forward? Given that the consilience of science and medicine is a dynamic art from which therapies arise, it would be misguided to consider any single work adequate at capturing the horizon for research. So with humility we constructed this text as primer for scientists. It begins with a broad introduction to the clinical management of common cancers. This is intended to serve as a foundation for investigators to consider when developing basic science hypotheses. Unquestionably, medical and surgical care of cancer patients reveals biology and dictates how novel therapeutics will ultimately be evaluated in clinical trials. The second section of this text offers provocative and evolving insights that underscore the breadth of science involved in the elucidation of cancer metastasis biology. The text concludes with information that integrates scientific and clinical foundations to highlight translational research. This book serves as a framework for scientists to conceptualize clinical and translational knowledge on the complexity of disease that is metastatic cancer.
Since the late 1960s, the survival rate in children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer has steadily improved, with a corresponding decline in the cancer-specific death rate. Although the improvements in survival are encouraging, they have come at the cost of acute, chronic, and late adverse effects precipitated by the toxicities associated with the individual or combined use of different types of treatment (e.g., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy). In some cases, the impairments resulting from cancer and its treatment are severe enough to qualify a child for U.S. Social Security Administration disability benefits. At the request of Social Security Administration, Childhood Cancer and Functional Impacts Across the Care Continuum provides current information and findings and conclusions regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of selected childhood cancers, including different types of malignant solid tumors, and the effect of those cancers on childrenâ (TM)s health and functional capacity, including the relative levels of functional limitation typically associated with the cancers and their treatment. This report also provides a summary of selected treatments currently being studied in clinical trials and identifies any limitations on the availability of these treatments, such as whether treatments are available only in certain geographic areas.
This is a multi-specialty book on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of CNS metastases of the brain and spine. Written by renowned experts in their fields, the book covers essential contemporary topics in CNS metastases care. The book is divided into seven parts that begin with chapters that cover the fundamental biology of disease so that subsequent chapters on imaging, diagnosis, treatment, and palliation can be properly contextualized. This text also provides a framework for understanding the biology of radiation therapy so that radiation treatment options of the brain and spine can be more fully understood. New medications and technologies are reviewed from the perspective of maximizing efficacy and minimizing toxicity, independently and as combinatorial therapy. Central Nervous System Metastases: Diagnosis and Treatment serves as a practical reference for health care providers and trainees. It provides the comprehensive, detailed perspective required to provide holistic care to patients with metastatic disease to the brain and spine.
This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of all aspects of childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, from basic biology to supportive care. It offers new insights into the genetic pre-disposition to the condition and discusses how response to early therapy and its basic biology are utilized to develop new prognostic stratification systems and target therapy. Readers will learn about current treatment and outcomes, such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy approaches. Supportive care and management of the condition in resource poor countries are also discussed in detail. This is an indispensable guide for research and laboratory scientists, pediatric hematologists as well as specialist nurses involved in the care of childhood leukemia.
The second edition of this book serves both as an introductory and reference book focusing on the field of metastatic bone disease. Featuring contributions from experts in the field, this volume describes the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the formation of bone metastases, presents the newer advances made in the understanding of the clinical picture and symptoms of patients, analyses the role of bone markers in research and clinical practice and deals with all aspects of imaging modalities applied for the detection and evaluation of bone metastases. Moreover, the use of all available treatment methods, such as radiotherapy, surgery and systemic treatments for the management of patients with metastatic bone disease is discussed in detail. Overall this volume presents a thorough overview of all aspects of metastatic bone disease and provides a comprehensive and concise information resource for researchers, oncologists, orthopaedic surgeons and clinicians dealing with patients with metastatic bone disease.
This book, written by experts from across the world, provides a comprehensive, up-to-date overview covering all aspects of posterior fossa neoplasms in pediatric patients, including medulloblastoma, ependymoma, cerebellar astrocytoma, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, chordoma, brain stem tumors, and rarer entities. For each tumor type, individual chapters are devoted to genetics, radiological evaluation using advanced imaging techniques, surgery, pathology, oncology, and radiation treatment. In addition, a separate section describes the various surgical approaches that may be adopted and offers guidance on the treatment of hydrocephalus and the role of intraoperative mapping and monitoring. Useful information is also provided on anatomy, clinical presentation, neurological evaluation, and molecular biology. The book closes by discussing in detail immediate postoperative care, the management of surgical complications, and longer-term rehabilitation and support. Posterior fossa tumors are the most common pediatric brain tumors but are often difficult to treat owing to their proximity to critical brain structures and their tendency to cause marked intracranial hypertension. Practitioners of all levels of experience will find Posterior Fossa Tumors in Children to be a richly illustrated, state of the art guide to the management of these tumors that will serve as an ideal reference in clinical practice.