New insights into the molecular biology of childhood leukemias have stimulated numerous advances in diagnostic methods, strategies for risk assessment and the development of novel therapy for genetic subtypes of the diseases. Fully revised and updated, this new edition of Childhood Leukemias provides the most comprehensive, clinically-oriented and authoritative reference dedicated to these diseases. Beginning with an overview of history, cell biology, and pathology, subsequent chapters review approaches in the evaluation and management of specific leukemias, new therapeutic development and the unique pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenetics of individual patients. New chapters include epigenetics of leukemias, leukemias in patients with Down syndrome and leukemia in adolescents and young adults. The final section covers the complications associated with the disease or its treatment and supportive care during and after treatment. Authored by leading experts, this is a 'must-have' for any physician or investigator who deals with leukemias in childhood.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of all aspects of childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, from basic biology to supportive care. It offers new insights into the genetic pre-disposition to the condition and discusses how response to early therapy and its basic biology are utilized to develop new prognostic stratification systems and target therapy. Readers will learn about current treatment and outcomes, such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy approaches. Supportive care and management of the condition in resource poor countries are also discussed in detail. This is an indispensable guide for research and laboratory scientists, pediatric hematologists as well as specialist nurses involved in the care of childhood leukemia.

Every day, 1500 Americans die of cancer, and yet for most of us this deadly disease remains mysterious. Why is it so common? Why are there so many different causes? Why does treatment so often fail? What, ultimately, is cancer? In this fascinating new book, a leading cancer researcher offers general readers clear and convincing answers to these and many other questions. Mel Greaves places cancer in its evolutionary context, arguing that we can best answer the big questions about cancer by looking through a Darwinian lens. Drawing on both ancient and more modern evolutionary legacies, he shows how human development has changed the rules of evolutionary games, trapping us in a nature-nurture mismatch. Compelling examples, from the King of Naples intestinal tumor in the 15th century, through the epidemic of scrotal skin cancer in 18th-century chimney sweeps, to the current surge of cases of prostate cancer illustrate his thesis. He also shows why the old paradigms of infectious diseases or genetic disorders have proved fruitless when trying to explain this complex and elusive disease. And finally, he looks at the implications for research, prevention, and treatment of cancer that an evolutionary perspective provides. Drawing on the most recent research, this is the first book to put cancer in its evolutionary framework. At a time when Darwinian perspectives on everything from language acquisition to economics are providing new breakthroughs in understanding, medicine seems to have much to gain from the insights provided by evolutionary biology. Written in an exceptionally lucid and entertaining style, this book will be of broad interest to all those who wish to know more about this dread disease.

This book is a comprehensive and up-to-date compendium on all aspects of childhood leukemia. After introductory chapters on the epidemiology and biology of pediatric leukemia, treatment considerations are extensively reviewed, with emphasis on the use of risk-adjusted treatment approaches. Promising targeted agents are discussed, and strategies for the development of new agents are appraised. The late effects of leukemia and its therapy are then considered in depth, with due attention to management of the psychosocial impact of the disease. Finally, global strategies to improve leukemia care and outcome are reviewed, and future directions discussed. The authors are internationally recognized experts and offer a largely evidence-based consensus on etiology, biology, and treatment. This handbook has far-reaching applicability to the clinical diagnosis and management of pediatric leukemia and will prove invaluable to specialists, generalists, and trainees alike.

Since the late 1960s, the survival rate in children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer has steadily improved, with a corresponding decline in the cancer-specific death rate. Although the improvements in survival are encouraging, they have come at the cost of acute, chronic, and late adverse effects precipitated by the toxicities associated with the individual or combined use of different types of treatment (e.g., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy). In some cases, the impairments resulting from cancer and its treatment are severe enough to qualify a child for U.S. Social Security Administration disability benefits. At the request of Social Security Administration, Childhood Cancer and Functional Impacts Across the Care Continuum provides current information and findings and conclusions regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of selected childhood cancers, including different types of malignant solid tumors, and the effect of those cancers on childrenâ (TM)s health and functional capacity, including the relative levels of functional limitation typically associated with the cancers and their treatment. This report also provides a summary of selected treatments currently being studied in clinical trials and identifies any limitations on the availability of these treatments, such as whether treatments are available only in certain geographic areas.