Molecular Tumor

To profoundly understand biology and harness its intricacies for human benefit and the mitigation of human harm requires cross-disciplinary approaches that incorporate sophisticated computational and mathematical modeling techniques.

This book describes some improvements in the surgical management of gliomas, including segmentation of brain MRI images using 4D MRI volumes to help with the diagnosis and monitoring of patients. Novel topic reviewed involves the applications of photosensitizers and their efficacy in the generation of anti-tumor responses in photodynamic therapy. This new information will lead to improved and efficacious treatment strategies for these challenging tumors.

This volume is dedicated to knowledge regarding the molecular biology of brain tumors, new avenues regarding the role of microRNAs along with further understanding of the importance of angiogenesis, immunotherapy and explanations for the resistance of the tumors to radiation therapy have been developed.

Numerous studies have shown that elevated levels of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood of cancer patients are associated with poor response to treatment and inferior survival probabilities. Despite this clinical significance, the molecular biology of CTCs remains poorly understood. The paucity in molecular information can be attributed to the tremendous technical challenges involved in isolating these extremely rare cells.

In this book a review of the latest information on these topics along with a variety of new therapeutic treatment strategies with an emphasis on molecular targeted therapies is provided. This new information will lead to efficacious treatment strategies for these tumors which remain a challenge.