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,
Christoph Wagener is Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and former director of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, His areas of research are the interaction of tumor cells with their microenvironment, and molecular approaches to tumor diagnosis, Professor Wagener has authored more than 100 original scientific publications, 15 scientific reviews and 13 book chapters, Together with Oliver Muller, he published the text book 'Molekulare Onkologie' and the 'Onkoview Videos', which can be viewed on YouTube, Book and videos have received excellent reviews from readers and viewers,
Carol Stocking is Head of the Research Group Retroviral Pathogenesis at the Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology in Hamburg, Germany, She is a highly regarded expert in the field of leukemogenesis and hematology, Her areas of research are gene regulation, molecular control of differentiation, and hematopoietic stem cells, Dr, Stocking has authored more than 120 original publications in top international journals and 20 book chapters,
Oliver Muller is Professor for Applied Life Sciences at the University for Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Germany, He holds academic degrees in both biochemistry and medicine, His areas of research are the intracellular signal transduction and the genes and proteins involved in carcinogenesis, Professor Muller is author of more than 80 original articles, 11 patents, 15 scientific reviews and 4 book chapters, His work was honoured by several science awards,
Dieses verständlich geschriebene Lehrbuch vermittelt alles Wissenswerte rund um die molekulare Onkologie. Vor allem die bei vielen Krebsarten wichtigen Signalwege werden detailliert dargestellt. Eine Vielzahl von Lehrvideos machen das Thema erfahrbar.
Autorentext
Christoph Wagener is Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and former director of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. His areas of research are the interaction of tumor cells with their microenvironment, and molecular approaches to tumor diagnosis. Professor Wagener has authored more than 100 original scientific publications, 15 scientific reviews and 13 book chapters. Together with Oliver Muller, he published the text book 'Molekulare Onkologie' and the 'Onkoview Videos', which can be viewed on YouTube. Book and videos have received excellent reviews from readers and viewers.
Carol Stocking is Head of the Research Group Retroviral Pathogenesis at the Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology in Hamburg, Germany. She is a highly regarded expert in the field of leukemogenesis and hematology. Her areas of research are gene regulation, molecular control of differentiation, and hematopoietic stem cells. Dr. Stocking has authored more than 120 original publications in top international journals and 20 book chapters.
Oliver Muller is Professor for Applied Life Sciences at the University for Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Germany. He holds academic degrees in both biochemistry and medicine. His areas of research are the intracellular signal transduction and the genes and proteins involved in carcinogenesis. Professor Muller is author of more than 80 original articles, 11 patents, 15 scientific reviews and 4 book chapters. His work was honoured by several science awards.
Leseprobe
Preface
1 History of Cancer Signaling Research
Of all the various fields of biomedical science, research on intracellular signaling provides some of the best examples for the successful transfer of basic science discoveries into the clinic. Findings from signaling research, together with new techniques of prevention, diagnosis, radiation, and surgery, have helped to increase the cure rates of all cancer patients from below 10% in the 1930s to over 60% today. It has been a long road from the discovery at the beginning of the twentieth century of chromosomal aberrations in tumor genomes, providing the first molecular insight into tumorigenesis, to the modern-day targeted and personalized anticancer therapy based on over 100 years of molecular and biochemical advances.
The first successful steps in the fight against cancer were observed using broad and unspecific cytostatic drugs. In 1947, the first partial remission of pediatric leukemia in a 4-year-old girl was achieved by using the drug aminopterin. Until this time, children with acute leukemia usually died within weeks of being diagnosed. Aminopterin is a competitive analog of the vitamin folic acid that is a necessary cofactor in the synthesis of nucleobases, the building stones of DNA and RNA.
In 1949, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nitrogen mustard, the first chemotherapeutical drug, for the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma. Originally developed as a weapon gas, nitrogen mustard kills (cancer) cells by modifying their DNA by alkylation. Nitrogen mustard and its derivatives paved the way for many other alkylating and nonalkylating cytostatic and cytocidal anticancer drugs.
In 1958, the first therapeutic use of a combination of different cytostatic drugs was found to prolong the survival times of leukemia patients. In 1965, it was reported that a specific combination of chemotherapeutics could cure 50% of all patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Combination therapy is still used today to lower the risk of side effects and resistance.
During the 1960s, scientists in a hospital in Philadelphia identified a chromosomal aberration linked to certain forms of myeloid and lymphoid leukemia. Thirty years later, a fusion protein generated by the so-called Philadelphia chromosome became the target of one of the first specific and targeted cancer treatments with the kinase inhibitor imatinib (Gleevec).
The 1970s ushered in the era of oncogenes. Researchers found that tumor-causing viruses carry mutated forms of mammalian genes. This finding led to the identification of the first proto-oncogene KRAS in 1979. The Ras protein was characterized as an intracellular protein that sends signals from the inner cell membrane into the nucleus. As the first protein with specific signaling activity involved in tumorigenesis, Ras opened a new chapter of cancer research, namely cancer signaling research. Over the following years, the identification of other signaling proteins led to the finding that intracellular signaling pathways control all biological processes and all cellular functions, such as proliferation, differentiation, and migration.
In the 1980s, t…