Successes and Limitations of Targeted Cancer Therapy

Download or read book Successes and Limitations of Targeted Cancer Therapy written by S. Peters and published by Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. This book was released on 2014-02-19 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The treatment of patients with advanced malignancies has undergone remarkable change in the last few years. While in the past decisions about systemic therapy were largely based on the performance status of a patient, oncologists today also take into account the pathological and molecular characteristics of the patient’s tumor. Targeting specific molecular pathways important for tumorigenesis has become the preferred way of treatment for many types of malignancies. With these advances come new challenges including the optimization of therapy, recognizing and dealing with side effects and, importantly, the development of resistance. This book provides an up-to-date overview of the advances and limitations of targeted therapy for several tumor entities including breast cancer, colon cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, lung cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer and renal cell carcinoma. Written by over a dozen internationally renowned scientists, the book is suitable for advanced students, postdoctoral researchers, scientists and clinicians who wish to update their knowledge of the latest approaches to targeted cancer therapies.