Main description:

Distant metastases are the main cause of cancer-related death. The onset of the metastatic process can now be assessed in cancer patients by the use of immunocytochemical and molecular methods that allow the identification of disseminated carcinoma cells in regional lymph nodes, peripheral blood or distant organs. There is increasing evidence that the detection and characterization of tumor cells present in bone marrow or peripheral blood can provide clinically important information.
In this book, leading experts in the area of micrometastasis research provide an overview that summarizes the current state of research on micrometastatic disease in patients with solid tumors. In each chapter, the technical aspect as well as clinical relevance of micrometastasis detection is discussed.
The book addresses basic researchers as well as clinicians involved in the treatment of cancer patients.

Contents:

Chapter 1:Technical Aspects of the Detection of Disseminated Tumour Cells by Molecular Methods William H. Krüger Chapter 2: RNA/DNA Based Detection of Minimal Residual Head and Neck Cancer Ruud H. Brakenhoff Chapter 3: Detection and Characterisation of Occult Metastatic Cells in Bone Marrow of Breast Cancer Patients: Implications for Adjuvant Therapy Stephan Braun, Volkmar Müller, and Klaus Pantel Chapter 4: Prognosis of Minimal Residual Disease in Bone Marrow, Blood and Lymph Nodes in Breast Cancer Debra Hawes, A. Munro Neville and Richard J. Cote Chapter 5: Detection, Isolation and Study of Disseminated Prostate Cancer Cells in the Peripheral Blood and Bone Marrow Jesco Pfitzenmaier, Robert L. Vessella, William J. Ellis and Paul H. Lange Chapter 6: Early Disseminated Tumor Cells in Operable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Bernward Passlick Chapter 7: Prognostic Value of Minimal Residual Disease in Esophageal Cancer Peter Scheuemann, Stefan B. Hosch, and Jacob R. Izbicki Chapter 8: Clinical Relevance of Tumor Cell Dissemination in Colorectal, Gastric and Pancreatic Carcinoma Ilka Vogel and Holger Kalthoff Chapter 9: Minimal Residual Disease in Melanoma Petra Goldin-Lang and Ulrich Keilholz