During the last 30 years, many chemical compounds that are active against tumors have been discovered or developed. At the same time, new methods of testing drugs for cancer therapy have evolved. nefore 1964, drug testing on animal tumors was directed to observation of the incfease in life span of the host after a single dose. A new approach, in which the effects of multiple doses on the proliferation kinetics of the tumor in vivo as well as of cell lines in vitro are investigated, has been outlined by Skipper and his co-workers in a series of papers beginning in 1964 (Skipper, Schabel and Wilcox, 1964 and 1965). They also investigated the influence of the time schedule in the treatment of experimental tumors. Since the publication of those studies, cell population kinetics cannot be left out of any discussion of the rational basis of chemotherapy. When clinical oncologists began to apply cell kinetic concepts in practice about 15 years ago, the theoretical basis was still very poor, in spite of Skipper's progress, and the lack of re levant cytokinetic and pharmacologic data was apparent. Subsequently, much theoretical work has been done and many cell kinetic models have been elaborated (for a review see Eisen, 1977).

Kinetics of Experimental Tumour Processes focuses on the principles of the kinetics of experimental malignant growth. This book also looks into the molecular mechanisms of chemotherapy and certain problems of carcinogenesis and biochemistry. Organized into eight chapters, this monograph first describes the kinetic curve for tumor growth and the experimental data on tumor growth from the USSR and elsewhere. Subsequent chapters deal with kinetic analysis of the results obtained by various treatments of tumors; pharmacokinetic methods of major regularities connected with general problems of cancer chemotherapy; molecular mechanisms of chemotherapy; and the role of free radicals in the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and tumor growth. The last two chapters detail the kinetic analysis of biochemical shifts occurring in tumor tissues and the disturbance of structure and biosynthesis of informational macromolecules occurring in tumor growth. This book will help in the mutual efforts among researchers for the solution of the most important current problems in oncology.

Describes the principles of cancer chemotherapy quantitatively, using computer modelling. The book includes a computer program on disk to allow the user to model tumour biology and drug effects. This allows a trial and error approach to understanding the principles of chemotherapy.