Where do you begin to look for a recent, authoritative article on the diagnosis or management of a particular malignancy? The few general oncology textbooks are generally out of date. Single papers in specialized journals are informative but seldom comprehensive; these are more often preliminary reports on a very limited number of patients. Certain general journals frequently publish good indepth reviews of cancer topics, and published symposium lectures are often the best overviews available. Unfortunately, these reviews and supplements appear sporadically, and the reader can never be sure when a topic of special interest will be covered. Cancer Treatment and Research is a series of authoritative volumes which aim to meet this need . It is an attempt to establish a critical mass of oncology literature covering virtually all oncology topics, revised frequently to keep the coverage up to date, easily available on a single library shelf or by a single personal sub scription. We have approached the problem in the following fashion. First, by dividing the oncology literature into specific subdivisions such as lung cancer, genitourin ary cancer , pediatric oncology, etc. Second, by asking eminent authorities in each of these areas to edit a volume on the specific topic on an annual or biannual basis. Each topic and tumor type is covered in a volume appearing frequently and predictably, discussing current diagnosis, staging, markers, all forms of treatment modalities, basis biology, and more .

Colorectal Cancer: Diagnosis and Clinical Management provides colorectal surgeons, gastroenterologists and oncologists with an authoritative, practical guide to best practice in the diagnosis and clinical management of colorectal cancer. Covering all forms of treatment including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it examines the various new and emerging therapies, new strategies for screening and prevention, as well as the latest guidance on the most challenging and controversial aspects of managing colorectal cancer. The authors present important information on: Controversies in adjuvant chemotherapy Long versus short course radiotherapy Minimally invasive surgery and robotics Radical colonic resection Each chapter contains key points, tips and tricks and clinical case studies to aid rapid browsing and knowledge of the basic principles, while self-assessment questions allow readers to test their clinical knowledge. With leading international surgeons, gastroenterologists and oncologists combining to offer their considerable wealth of expertise and knowledge, Colorectal Cancer is a well-balanced, indispensable resource for all those involved in colorectal cancer management.

This volume focuses on new and exciting approaches in the molecular and clinical management of gastrointestinal tumors. The first part presents recent insights into carcinogenesis, including alterations in cyclins and adhesion receptors, molecular structures which might be new targets of gene therapy. The second part of the volume offers new diagnostic tools, such as receptors for gastrointestinal hormones, proliferation markers, tumor suppressor proteins, and the multiple drug resistance gene, predicting response to therapy and prognosis in gastrointestinal tumors. The third part gives an update of successful approaches in primary and secondary prevention of colorectal carcinoma. Nutritional factors and pharmacologic agents can clearly decrease the risk, and fecal occult blood tests and endoscopy can reduce the mortality in colorectal carcinoma. Laparoscopic staging with subsequent biopsy of suspicious lymph nodes provides essential information in esophageal and gastric cancer. In locally advanced gastric cancer, preoperative chemotherapy provides sufficient evidence to investigate this approach as compared to primary surgery. Standards have recently been established in the adjuvant treatment of patients with gastrointestinal carcinoma, and promising new drugs, including monoclonal antibodies, thymidylate synthase, and topoisomerase inhibitors, as well as taxoids, are currently being tested in phase I, II, and III trials of gastrointestinal tumors.

Handbook of Gastrointestinal Cancers is a practical guide to the management of colorectal, pancreatic, hepatocellular, gastric, and esophageal cancers as well as other cancers of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Edited by a multidisciplinary group of oncologists from leading institutions, this book is an essential day-to-day reference for evidence-based treatment and patient care. The handbook focuses on treatment strategies and approaches to cancerous gastrointestinal tumors that are transforming the recent oncological landscape, including expert-given guidance on methods such as neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy, surgical transplant, radiation therapy, molecular diagnostic testing leading to molecularly targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. With so many advances in the current field, it is increasingly difficult for early-career practitioners to grasp the entirety of practices and for seasoned oncologists to keep up with newly approved therapies, side effects to treatments, and special clinical management considerations, but this handbook addresses it all. Organized by major gastrointestinal disease sites and featuring “How I Treat” case vignettes from world experts for common and uncommon management considerations, the handbook brings an experience-based perspective to these tough-to-treat areas. The treatment strategies and applications set forth in the chapters are pertinent to situations and decision-making encountered in practice. Handbook of Gastrointestinal Cancers is a valuable resource for medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons treating and managing gastrointestinal cancers as well as trainees in medical, radiation, and surgical oncology programs needing an accessible point of care resource. KEY FEATURES: Provides treatment plans and recommendations for each stage of a range of gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal, pancreatic, and hepatocellular cancers plus more Includes “How I Treat” patient vignettes told from the physician’s point of view within each clinical chapter Outlines special considerations for the elderly and for survivors of gastrointestinal cancers Highlights important clinical guidance on nutritional and palliative concerns commonly seen in patients with gastrointestinal cancers

Thoroughly updated for its Second Edition, this text provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary coverage of gastrointestinal cancer, including molecular biology, diagnosis, medical, surgical, and radiation therapy, and palliative care. The initial section, Principles of Gastrointestinal Oncology, includes an expanded radiation oncology chapter, an extensively revised cancer genetics chapter, and a completely rewritten medical oncology chapter emphasizing new agents. Subsequent sections focus on esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, hepatocellular, biliary tree, and colorectal cancer. Coverage of each anatomic site includes epidemiology, screening, and prevention; molecular biology and genetics; pathology; anatomy and staging; and clinical management. The final section on uncommon cancers includes new chapters on neuroendocrine tumors and small bowel cancers. A companion Website provides instant access to the complete, fully searchable text.

Gastric cancer has been one of the great malignant scourges affecting man kind for as long as medical records have been kept. Until operative resection pioneered by Bilroth and others became available, no effective treatment was feasible and death from cancer was virtually inevitable. Even with resection by total gastrectomy, the chances of tumor eradication remained small. Over recent years, however, the situation has been changing. Some changes have resulted from better understanding of the disease, early detec tion, and better management techniques with applied clinical research, but the reasons for other changes are poorly understood. For example, the incidence of gastric cancer is decreasing, especially in westernized societies, where it has fallen from one of the most common cancers to no longer being in the top five causes of cancer death. Still it remains the number one killer of adult males in Japan and Korea. Whether the reduced incidence in western societies is a result of dietary changes or methods of food preservation, or some other reason, is as yet uncertain. Improvements in outcome have been reported from mass screening and early detection; more refined techniques of establishing early diagnosis, tumor type, and tumor extent; more radical surgical resection; and resection at earlier stages of disease.