Renal Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Clinical Management (Current Clinical Oncology) [Hardcover]

Ronald M. Bukowski (Editor), Andrew Novick (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0896037819 | ISBN-13: 978-0896037816 | Publication Date: January 15, 2000 | Edition: 1st

Leading clinicians and researchers critically survey a decade of clinical, biological, and pathological knowledge, and show how it is best applied to the management of both localized and advanced renal cell carcinoma. Their discussions include the latest developments in molecular genetics and immune dysfunction, and fully treat the roles of partial nephrectomy, radical nephrectomy, and laparoscopy. Also discussed are screening for renal cell carcinoma, diagnosis and staging, paraneoplastic syndromes, and prognostic factors in metastatic disease. The physicians further explore novel therapeutic aspects including the use of interferon, Interleukin-2, therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, monoclonal antibody therapies, and antiangiogenic treatments to name a few. Summarizing a decade of scientific and therapeutic innovation, Renal Cell Carcinoma offers all physicians and clinical investigators treating kidney cancer today's gold-standard compendium of practical knowledge about the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of this difficult disease.

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

Renal-cell carcinoma is sometimes said to be the cancer that is most resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Once renal-cell carcinoma has spread beyond the kidney, therapeutic options are limited. In the United States alone, 12,000 people die each year of metastatic renal cancer. As the authors of the chapter on chemotherapy in this book emphasize, "Clearly, new targets and drugs need to be identified, if response and survival are to be improved."

Two features of renal-cell carcinoma suggest that the future of treatment for renal cancer lies in immunologic or targeted therapeutic strategies. First, renal-cell carcinoma occasionally responds dramatically to immunotherapy. Second, the von Hippel-Lindau gene is mutated or inactivated in at least 80 percent of sporadic renal-cell carcinomas. This high rate of mutation of a single gene provides a target for the development of specific therapies: the cellular pathways controlled by the von Hippel-Lindau protein.

Renal Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Clinical Management is a concise, well-organized book that discusses nearly every aspect of renal cancer, from epidemiology and pathology to the management of specific clinical situations and recent research in immunotherapy. Some topics, such as epidemiology and paraneoplastic syndromes, are dealt with only briefly. Others are explored in considerable depth, including the immunologic abnormalities associated with renal-cell carcinoma, progress in biologically based therapies, and surgical management. With only occasional exceptions, the amount of space devoted to a topic is clearly correlated with its likely importance in the future of therapy for renal-cell carcinoma.

The book has three parts. The first, an introductory part, includes chapters on epidemiology, pathology, and molecular genetics. The second and shortest part, entitled "Management of Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma," focuses primarily on surgical management. The third, entitled "Management of Advanced and/or Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma," includes chapters on clinical management, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and antiangiogenesis. The chapter on chemotherapy is appropriately brief, since cytotoxic agents generally do not result in meaningful response rates. However, this chapter includes an extremely useful, eight-page table summarizing the results of phase 2 trials of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

This book has many strengths. One is its organization. Each chapter is divided into clearly labeled, short subsections, making it highly readable and allowing the reader to locate information on a particular topic efficiently. A second strength is its emphasis on the immunologic features of renal cancer. Nearly 100 pages deal with disease mechanisms and biologically based therapies, including chapters on immune-system abnormalities, interleukin-2, interferon, monoclonal-antibody therapy, and adoptive immunotherapy. These chapters are particularly well referenced and include references as recent as 1999.

Perhaps the only important weakness of this book is its too-brief discussion of the function of the von Hippel-Lindau protein. The function of this protein is certain to be important in the development of targeted therapy. The chapter on screening for renal-cell carcinoma mentions several putative functions of von Hippel-Lindau protein, and the chapter on angiogenesis refers to the role of this protein in inhibiting the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor. Admittedly, however, the function of von Hippel-Lindau protein is a difficult and rapidly evolving topic, and reviews are readily available in other publications.

This excellent book is both useful and readable. Because of its wide scope but concise organization, it will be valuable to nearly everyone interested in renal cancer, including surgical and medical oncologists, clinical investigators, and laboratory investigators. Its interdisciplinary appeal sets the stage for the development of new therapeutic strategies for renal-cell carcinoma, which will certainly require an interdisciplinary approach.

Elizabeth Petri Henske, M.D.
Copyright © 2000 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

Review

"Every aspect of renal cell carcinoma, from basic science to advanced clinical management, is comprehensively covered. . .I firmly believe this is the most complete yet concise "monogram" on the subject of renal cancers. It is a high quality book that would be extremely useful for anyone who manages renal cell carcinomas on a regular basis. The basic science chapters and in particular the chapters on advanced/metastatic renal tumors are extremely well written and informative. This book is the only one of its kind and hence cannot be compared."-Weighted Numerical Score: 95 - 4 Stars!-Doody's Health Science Book Review Journal

"...a concise, well-organized book that discusses nearly every aspect of renal cancer, from epidemiology and pathology to the management of specific clinical situations and recent research in immunotherapy...This book has many strengths. One is its organization. Each chapter is divided into clearly labeled, short subsections, making it highly readable and allowing the reader to locate information on a particular topic efficiently. A second strength is its emphasis on the immunologic features of renal cancer...This excellent book is both useful and readable. Because of its wide scope but concise organization, it will be valuable to nearly everyone interested in renal cancer, including surgical and medical oncologists, clinical investigators, and laboratory investigators."-The New England Journal of Medicine

" The book is clearly written, the illustrations are informative and the references are complete. It's strongest point is the extensive attention paid to the immunologic aspects of RCC."-Annals of Oncology

Product Details

• Hardcover: 434 pages
• Publisher: Humana Press; 1st edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896037819
• ISBN-13: 978-0896037816
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,880,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)