Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a medical enigma. As a childhood neoplasm arising from neural crest cells, it is characterized by diverse clinical behaviors ranging from spontaneous remission to rapid tumor progression and death. Although clinical outcome can be predicted to a large extent by the stage of disease and the age at diagnosis, an in-depth understanding of its clinico-pathological behavior, now greatly aided by sophisticated molecular genetic profiling, will improve diagnostic precision and refine risk-based therapies. Comprehensive international efforts have advanced our understanding of tumor biology and improved the clinical management of children with neuroblastoma. This book reviews our current understanding of the genes and biological pathways that contribute to neuroblastoma pathogenesis, modern risk-based treatment approaches for these patients, and recent advances in biologically based therapy. It provides a concise up-to-date reference for practitioners, students, and researchers.

"Neuroblastoma is a medical enigma. As a childhood neoplasm arising from neural crest cells, it is characterized by diverse clinical behaviors ranging from spontaneous remission to rapid tumor progression and death. Although clinical outcome can be predicted to a large extent by the stage of disease and the age at diagnosis, an in-depth understanding of its clinico-pathological behavior, now greatly aided by sophisticated molecular genetic profiling, will improve diagnostic precision and refine risk-based therapies. Comprehensive international efforts have advanced our understanding of tumor biology and improved the clinical management of children with neuroblastoma. This book reviews our current understanding of the genes and biological pathways that contribute to neuroblastoma pathogenesis, modern risk-based treatment approaches for these patients, and recent advances in biologically based therapy. It provides a concise up-to-date reference for practitioners, students, and researchers. TOC:From the contents: Epidemiology.- Neuroblastoma Screening.- Genetics.- Cellular and Molecular Biology.- Cellular Heterogeneity.- Clinical Presentation.- Clinical Pathology.- Molecular Pathology.- Anatomic and Functional Imaging of Neuroblastoma.- Treatment of Neuroblastoma.- Treatment of Recurrent Disease.- Management of Neurologic Complications.- Immunology and Immunotherapy.- Differentiation.- Angiogenesis.- Experimental Therapeutics.- Late Effects and Quality of Life.- Future Strategies and Directions."

Epidemiology.- Screening for Neuroblastoma.- Genetics.- Molecular Cytogenetics.- Molecular and Developmental Biology of Neuroblastoma.- Cellular Heterogeneity.- Clinical Presentation.- Pathology of Peripheral Neuroblastic Tumors.- Molecular Pathology of Neuroblastic Tumors Based on Genome-wide Expression Analysis.- Anatomic and Functional Imaging.- Treatment of Neuroblastoma.- Treatment of Relapsed and Refractory Neuroblastoma.- Management of Neurologic Complications.- Immunology and Immunotherapy.- Differentiation and Retinoids.- Angiogenesis.- Experimental Therapeutics and Preclinical Models.- Late Effects of Treatment.- Perspectives and Future Directions.