Cancer Therapy: Molecular Targets in Tumour-Host Interactions

Essential reading everyone working in the area of molecular cancer research, anti-cancer drug research, cancer pharmacogenomics and oncogenomics, and recommended reading for students and health professionals.

Tumour-host interaction is critical for cancer proliferation and spread. Tumour mass, metastasis, invasion of host tissue, evasion of the host immune response, and tumour drug resistance are all affected by the interaction between the tumour cell and the host. Molecular strategies to interrupt the tumour-host interaction are amongst the most promising new leads to emerge in cancer pharmacogenomics and oncogenomics in recent years. In this book internationally renown authors critically review every aspect of this major area in cancer research. In the opening chapter, Liang and colleagues describe the use of differential display to identify novel cancer-associated genes. This is followed by a fascinating chapter in which Aronow et al. describe possibilities for personalized cancer therapies including the potential new therapies identified by pharmacogenomics. Chapter 3 focuses on novel retinoid derived anti-cancer agents. The following chapters review in detail current advances in the targeting of specific events in cancinogenesis including: apoptosis (chapter 4), metastasis (chapters 6, 13), angiogenesis (chapters 7, 8, 10, 11), TGFb (chapter 5), the endothelin receptor (chapter 9), and drug resistance (chapter 15). This section is followed by two excellent chapters detailing strategies that enlist the assistance of the host immune system (chapters 12 and 14). The closing chapter provides a stimulating insight into current research with suicide gene therapy vectors.

1. Identification of Target Genes by Differential Display. 2. Oncogenomics: Progress Towards Personalized Molecular Diagnoses and Therapies for Cancer. 3. Cell Differentiation and Cancer Prevention by Retinoids. 4. Apoptosis in Cancer Formation and Progression. 5. Redefining TGFb as a Target in Cancer. 6. Inhibition of Tumor Metastasis by Targeting Metastasis Genes: BRMS1 as a Prototype. 7. Integrins in Angiogenesis: Implications for Tumor Therapy. 8. Anti-angiogenesis in Search of Mechanisms: Angiostatin as a Prototype. 9. Therapeutic Targeting of the Endothelin Receptor in Cancer. 10. Hemostatic Regulators as Drug Targets in Tumor Angiogenesis. 11. Anti-Angiogenesis by Inhibition of Protein Kinase Signaling. 12. Targeting the Immune System to Tumor-Associated Antigens. 13. The Role of Chemokines in Tumor Development and Metastasis. 14. Tumor Killing by Natural Killer Cells. 15. Drug resistance. A Problem and Possible Solutions. 16. Virus Directed Suicide Gene Therapy.