Bone and Cancer

The book features current knowledge concerning mechanisms of metastasis, the role of the bone microenvironment in cancer progression, function of inflammatory cytokines in metastasis and osteolysis, the role of osteoblasts, thus offering cellular and molecular findings that affect the search for drugs and lead to translational studies. In addition, it contains chapters on animal models for cancer, the molecular imaging of cancer cells, and bone marrow transplants. There are also chapters on bone pain and current therapeutic approaches to secondary bone cancer (i.e. the use of bisphosphonates, chemotherapy, hormone therapy), of particular relevance to the clinician. Each chapter contains extensive bibliography, tables, diagrams and figures that clarify the skeletal complications in the cellular events that lead to cancer development and progression of disease in bone. Chapters tie insights stemming from molecular and cellular events to the clinical picture, focusing on translation of discoveries in the laboratory to the clinic which helps clinicians better understand the basis of a particular event and basic scientists to appreciate the potential importance of their research. With chapters written by authorities in the field, the book is of interest to academic clinicians, researchers of bone and bone cancers, professional staff of hospitals and pharmaceutical houses, and personnel involved in, and concerned with, cancer care and therapy.