Despite recent advances in adjuvant therapies of cancer, the regi mens of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy treatment which are presently available fail to cure the majority of cancer patients. Pre operative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy represents a new approach in drug scheduling, based on sound theoretical, pharmacokinetic, and experimental principles. The preoperative timing of chemotherapy before definitive sur gery is not a minor change in the therapy of cancer. To be successful, large numbers of practitioners and their patients must participate. Substantial alterations of many aspects of the present management of cancer will have to follow. Therefore, before such therapy can be fully and routinely implemented, results of the novel treatment and its rationale have to be carefully evaluated. In preoperative treatment, other features will likely gain impor tance. For the first time, clinicians have a chance to follow the in vivo response of the tumor exposed to preoperative chemotherapy. The subsequent histological assessment of the tumor sample may likely become an important prognostic guide, permitting more re fined individual approaches to the planning of postoperative adju vant treatment. The value of such a treatment strategy can already be appreciated in the clinical setting, as seen from the therapy of osteosarcoma. Furthermore, preoperative chemotherapy might render previously inoperable tumors operable and hence resectable with a curative intention. The preoperative reduction of tumor bulk may also effectively decrease the need for more radical operations, permitting a more uniform adoption of conservative surgery.

The results of randomized trials evaluating the use of early or adjuvant systemic treatment for patients with resectable breast cancer provide an eloquent rebuttal to those who would argue that we have made no progress in the treatment of cancer. Many of the tumors that we have been most successful in curing with chemotherapy and other newer forms of treatment are relatively uncommon. In contrast, breast cancer continues to be the single most common malignancy among women in the western world, is increasingly a cause of death throughout Asia and Third-World countries, and remains one of the most substantial causes of cancer mortality world wide. The use of mammography as a means of early detection has been shown to reduce breast cancer mortality by 25-35% among those popu lations in which it is utilized. The use of adjuvant systemic treatment in appropriate patients provides a similar (and additional) reduction in breast cancer mortality. Few subjects have been so systematically studied in the history of medicine, and it seems fair to conclude that the value to adjuvant systemic therapy in prolonging the lives of women with breast cancer is more firmly supported by empirical evidence than even the more conventional or primary treatments using various combinations ofsurgery and radiotherapy.

An innovative guide to the practice of pelvic exenterative surgery for the management of advanced pelvic neoplasms Exenterative surgery plays an important role in the management of advanced pelvic cancer. However, while a large body of evidence regarding outcomes following pelvic exenteration now exists, practical strategies and management options remain unclear. Surgical Management of Advanced Pelvic Cancer addresses this problem by assembling world-leaders in the field to provide insights into the latest techniques and best practices. It includes detailed coverage of: Surgical anatomy Operative approaches and exenterative techniques Reconstruction options Current evidence on survival and quality of life outcomes Featuring essential information for those managing patients with advanced pelvic neoplasms, Surgical Management of Advanced Pelvic Cancer consolidates the latest data and practical advice in one indispensable guide.

Updated and expanded, the third edition of Surgery for Ovarian Cancer focuses on essential techniques for the effective management of ovarian cancer. It reflects the most contemporary science and surgical applications for the management of patients with ovarian cancer and related peritoneal surface malignancies. This new edition takes a step-by-step approach and includes new intraoperative photographs and videos illustrating surgical procedures. It is principally devoted to the technical aspects of cytoreductive surgery, with chapters divided according to anatomic region. The chapters cover relevant anatomical considerations, surgical challenges specific to each region, and operative approaches and techniques favored by the authors. The list of contributing authors has been expanded from the previous edition and includes international and world-renowned experts from the fields of gynecologic oncology and surgical oncology. The topics of minimally invasive surgery, secondary cytoreduction, palliative surgery, and postoperative care are also covered in detail. New to the third edition are chapters on preoperative risk stratification, regional therapeutics and peritonectomy procedures, and quality assurance relating to ovarian cancer surgery. This comprehensive text is essential reading for all practitioners working with patients with ovarian cancers.

Cancer continues to be one of the major causes of death throughout the developed world, which has led to increased research on effective treatments. Because of this, in the past decade, rapid progress in the field of cancer treatment has been seen. Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy reviews in specific details some of the most effective and promising treatments developed in research centers worldwide. While referencing advances in traditional therapies and treatments such as chemotherapy, this book also highlights advances in biotherapy including research using Interferon and Super Interferon, HecI based and liposome based therapy, gene therapy, and p53 based cancer therapy. There is also a discussion of current cancer research in China including traditional Chinese medicine. Written by leading scientists in the field, this book provides an essential insight into the current state of cancer therapy and treatment. Includes a wide range of research areas including a focus on biotherapy and the development of novel cancer therapeutic strategies. Formatted for a broad audience including all working in researching cancer treatments and therapies. Discusses special traits and results of Chinese cancer research.

In the chapters of this excellent text, the authors have described advances in the neoadjuvant chemotherapeutic management of a number of tumor types. Based on the extensive experience with this management concept in breast cancer, several chapters are devoted to this important topic (Section 1). Section 2 deals with the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in non-breast malignancies. Those who read and study the content of the chapters in this book will come away with a far greater understanding of the rationale supporting neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the existing evidence-based data regarding its use, limitations of the approach, and required future investigative efforts to learn how to optimize the benefits of this innovative management concept.