Cancer: Basic Science and Clinical Aspects

Cancer: Basic Science and Clinical Aspects
......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 12
CANCER IS A COMPLEX ENTITY......Page 14
CANCER THROUGH THE AGES......Page 19
MODERN DAY CANCER RESEARCH AND TREATMENT......Page 24
PREVALENCE AND MORTALITY VARIES WITH EACH CANCER......Page 28
RISK FACTORS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED......Page 31
WILL CANCER BE CONQUERED WITHIN OUR LIFETIME?......Page 36
2 Cells: the fundamental unit of life......Page 39
SEVEN HIERARCHAL LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION......Page 40
FOUR TYPES OF MACROMOLECULAR POLYMERS......Page 45
CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION......Page 58
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IS IMPORTANT......Page 61
THE COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION OF THE HUMAN GENOME......Page 64
HAVING A DIPLOID GENOME HAS ITS ADVANTAGES......Page 69
PROTEINS CARRY OUT DIVERSE FUNCTIONS......Page 73
4 Cell cycle, oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes......Page 80
CELL DIVISION IN GERM-LINE AND SOMATIC TISSUES......Page 81
CELL DIVISION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND MATURATION OCCUR TO FORM FUNCTIONAL TISSUES......Page 87
CELL DIVISION IS UNDER THE REGULATION OF THE CELL CYCLE......Page 89
LOSS OF CELL CYCLE CONTROL LEADS TO UNCONTROLLED CELL GROWTH......Page 104
TISSUE CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN RESPONSE TO STIMULI......Page 107
FEEDING TUMOR GROWTH BY ANGIOGENESIS......Page 113
CHARACTERISTICS OF BENIGN AND MALIGNANT TUMORS......Page 116
EVENTS THAT OCCUR DURING THE PROCESS OF METASTASIS......Page 118
6 Cancer screening, detection, and diagnostic procedures and tests......Page 128
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE ACCURACY OF A DIAGNOSTIC TEST OR PROCEDURE......Page 129
COMMON SCREENING TESTS......Page 130
DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES FOR THE CONFIRMATION OF A DISEASE......Page 132
TUMOR GRADE AND STAGE FACTOR INTO THE TYPE OF TREATMENT REGIMEN AND PROGNOSIS......Page 144
7 Cancer treatment modalities......Page 148
SURGERY: THE OLDEST AND MOST COMMONLY USED TREATMENT METHOD......Page 149
RADIATION KILLS BY CAUSING EXTENSIVE DNA DAMAGE......Page 152
CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC DRUGS......Page 158
SIDE EFFECTS AND RISKS FROM THE USE OF CYTOTOXIC DRUGS......Page 163
HORMONAL DEPRIVATION TREATMENT: USED FOR ESTROGEN- AND ANDROGEN-DEPENDENT CANCERS......Page 166
CAN CANCER GROWTH BE CONTROLLED BY INHIBITING ANGIOGENESIS?......Page 171
ADDITIONAL ENZYMES TARGETED FOR INHIBITION......Page 174
BIOLOGICAL THERAPY STIMULATES THE BODY’S ABILITY TO FIGHT CANCER......Page 176
8 Breast cancer......Page 178
BREAST CANCER STATISTICS......Page 179
WOMEN'S BREAST TISSUE: UNIQUE IN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION......Page 180
CAUSES OF BREAST CANCER......Page 182
REGULAR EXAMINATIONS OF THE BREAST ARE IMPORTANT FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS......Page 186
WHAT FOLLOWS A POSITIVE DIAGNOSIS?......Page 192
TREATMENT OPTIONS ARE UNIQUE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL......Page 195
MUCH HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE......Page 200
OVARIAN CANCER STATISTICS......Page 202
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF OVARIES......Page 203
THERE ARE THREE TISSUE CATEGORIES OF OVARIAN CANCER......Page 204
SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER ARE VAGUE AND OFTEN MISSED......Page 205
CERTAIN FACTORS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGHER RISK......Page 206
DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE BUT NOT ALWAYS USED OR RECOMMENDED......Page 210
ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES ARE NECESSARY TO CONFIRM SUSPICIOUS RESULTS OR IF THERE IS METASTASIS......Page 212
TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR OVARIAN CANCER......Page 213
MUCH NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE FUTURE......Page 216
CERVICAL CANCER STATISTICS......Page 219
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE CERVIX......Page 220
PELVIC EXAMINATIONS AND PAP TESTS ENABLE EARLY DETECTION......Page 221
RISK FACTORS FOR CERVICAL CANCER......Page 227
THE HPV TEST IS A VITAL DIAGNOSTIC TOOL......Page 228
ADDITIONAL TESTS ARE NECESSARY TO EXAMINE THE CERVIX......Page 229
TREATMENT DEPENDS ON THE STAGE......Page 231
A VACCINE WILL PREVENT MANY CASES OF CERVICAL CANCER......Page 234
PROSTATE CANCER STATISTICS......Page 237
FUNCTION OF THE PROSTATE GLAND......Page 238
CERTAIN FACTORS INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROSTATE CANCER......Page 239
SCREENING AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTS FOR PROSTATE CANCER......Page 241
THERE ARE TRADITIONAL AND UNIQUE TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE......Page 250
MUCH ATTENTION IS BEING GIVEN TO THE NUMBER ONE CANCER AFFECTING MEN......Page 258
TESTICULAR CANCER STATISTICS......Page 260
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF TESTICLES......Page 261
THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF TESTICULAR TUMORS......Page 262
RISK FACTORS FOR THE DISEASE......Page 263
SYMPTOMS OF TESTICULAR CANCER......Page 265
TESTICULAR SELF-EXAMINATION (TSE) IS RECOMMENDED......Page 266
BLOOD AND IMAGING TESTS ARE USED TO DETERMINE DIAGNOSIS AND POSSIBLE METASTASIS......Page 268
TESTICULAR CANCER TREATMENT RESULTS IN A HIGH CURE RATE......Page 269
CAUSES AND TREATMENTS ARE BEING STUDIED......Page 273
SKIN CANCER STATISTICS......Page 275
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE SKIN......Page 276
THREE TYPES OF SKIN CANCER......Page 279
RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING SKIN CANCER......Page 280
METHODS USED TO SCREEN FOR SKIN CANCER......Page 288
SURGERY AND CHEMOTHERAPY ARE STANDARD TREATMENTS FOR METASTATIC SKIN CANCER......Page 297
LIMITED UV RADIATION EXPOSURE IS THE NUMBER ONE FORM OF PREVENTION......Page 302
14 Lung cancer......Page 306
RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF LUNG CANCER......Page 307
LACK OF DISTINCTIVE SYMPTOMS MAKES EARLY DIAGNOSIS DIFFICULT......Page 312
LUNG CANCER IS OFTEN DIAGNOSED AT AN ADVANCED STAGE......Page 316
THERE ARE TWO MAIN CATEGORIES OF LUNG CANCER......Page 319
THREE TRADITIONAL THERAPIES ARE USED IN LUNG CANCER TREATMENT......Page 320
IS THERE DISCRIMINATION IN CANCER RESEARCH FUNDING?......Page 323
15 Colorectal cancer......Page 325
COLON AND RECTUM ARE THE LAST TWO SECTIONS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT......Page 326
RISK FACTORS FOR COLORECTAL CANCER......Page 330
SCREENING TESTS......Page 332
TREATMENT OPTIONS......Page 342
TARGETED THERAPIES......Page 347
SCREENING TESTS PERFORMED AFTER THE COURSE OF TREATMENT......Page 349
LEUKEMIA STATISTICS......Page 351
LEUKEMIA IS A CANCER OF THE BLOOD CELLS......Page 352
EARLY SYMPTOMS OF LEUKEMIA......Page 353
LABORATORY STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO DETERMINE THE DIAGNOSIS......Page 354
THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF LEUKEMIA......Page 356
NONCHEMOTHERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OPTIONS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED SURVIVAL RATES......Page 364
HODGKIN'S VS. NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA......Page 368
CERTAIN RISK FACTORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED INCIDENCE OF LYMPHOMA......Page 370
LYMPHOMAS MUST BE CLASSIFIED TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE TREATMENT......Page 371
TREATMENT OPTIONS DEPEND ON THE TYPE OF LYMPHOMA, STAGE, AND EXTENT OF METASTASIS......Page 372
Glossary......Page 374
Index......Page 402