Introduction to the Molecular Genetics of Cancer

Series Editors Keith James, University of Edinburgh Medical School, UK. Alan Morris, University of Warwick, UK This series is designed to bridge the gap between pure research in the biomedical sciences and its practical application in clinical medicine. The objective is to promote the understanding of the molecular basis of human physiology and disease, and new techniques for diagnosis and treatment. Primarily intended for graduate students of medicine, the books will also be of use to molecular biologists, biochemists, physiologists, pharmacologists and biotechnologists, as well as medical practitioners and technicians who seek to update their knowledge. Introduction to the Molecular Genetics of Cancer Edited by Richard G. Vile Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, UK There are increasingly hopeful indications that definition of the molecular defects within cancer cells may soon lead to improved therapeutic regimens for the patient. This book discusses the roles both of the dominantly acting cellular oncogenes and of the recessive' tumour suppressor genes as well as the importance of viral oncogenes in the genesis of human cancers.
In addition, it highlights the potential to exploit the fine detail differences between the aberrant growth characteristics of the cancer cell and its normal counterpart which may lead to therapeutic advances in the treatment of cancer. It also aims to generate a more general perspective on the genetic contributions to carcinogenesis as an integrated disease process. Thus, it will be of value to researchers, clinicians, and students of cell and molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry who want a portal to the vast literature on the molecular mechanisms of cancer.