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.

Nowhere is the explosion in comprehensive genomic testing more evident than in oncology. Multiple consensus guidelines now recommend molecular testing as the standard of care for most metastatic tumors. To aid in the advancement of this rapidly changing field, we intend this Special Issue of JPM to focus on technical developments in the genomic profiling of cancer, detail promising somatic alterations that either are, or have a high likelihood of being, relevant in the near future, and to address issues related to the pricing and value of these tests.The last few years have seen the cost of molecular testing decrease by orders of magnitude. In 2018, we saw the first “site-agnostic” drug approvals in cancer (for microsatellite unstable cancer (PD-1 inhibitors) and NTRK-fusions (TRK inhibitors)). Research on targetable mutations, determination of genetic “signatures” that can use multiple individual genes/pathways, development of targeted therapy, and insight into the value of new technology remains at the cutting edge of research in this field. We are soliciting papers that present new technologies to assess predictive biomarkers in cancer, original research (pre-clinical or clinical) that demonstrates promise for particular targeted therapies in cancer, and articles that explore the clinical and financial impacts of this paradigmatic shift in cancer diagnostics and treatment.

This book analyzes all aspects of metronomic chemotherapy, a new approach involving low-dose, long-term, and frequently administered therapy that has preclinical and clinical activity in various tumors. After an opening section on the pharmacological bases of metronomic chemotherapy, including its antiangiogenic effects and impact on immunity, preclinical studies on various classes of drug are discussed. Clinical applications of metronomic chemotherapy in a wide variety of tumors are then addressed in detail, with description of the results of all published studies. The clinical pharmacology of metronomic chemotherapy is also considered in depth, encompassing pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics, pharmacoeconomics, and adverse drug reactions. The book closes by describing the role of this therapy in the veterinarian clinic.

Rectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers world-wide. It is also a paradigm for multimodal management, as the combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy is often necessary to achieve the optimal outcome. Recently, international experts met in Heidelberg, Germany to discuss the latest developments in the management of rectal cancer, including the anatomic and pathologic basis, staging tools, surgical concepts including fast-track surgery and laparoscopic resection, functional outcome after surgery and the role of radio- and chemotherapy. This monograph summarizes this meeting and gives an extensive overview of the current concepts in management of rectal cancer.

This book is a practical guide on how best to incorporate advanced radiation therapy techniques into the multimodality treatment of a wide range of gastrointestinal tumors, including esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, hepatobiliary malignancies (primary and metastatic liver tumors, intrahepatic, perihilar, and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas, and gallbladder cancer), pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and carcinoma of the anal canal. Practical considerations when treating patients with external beam radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, particle therapy, and stereotactic body radiation therapy are clearly explained. Detailed attention is devoted to the safety and efficacy of radiotherapy in combination with current and emerging systemic therapies (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and biologic agents), surgery, and ablative therapy, and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative treatment approaches for different tumor types are carefully evaluated. The book will benefit radiation oncologists, medical and surgical oncologists, medical physicists, medical dosimetrists, and other oncology professionals.

Balancing basic science with information on everyday clinical practice, Blumgart's Surgery of the Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreas, 7th Edition, provides you with expert guidance and advances in the field so you can offer patients the most optimal diagnostic and surgical care. In two convenient volumes, Dr. William Jarnagin and his team of internationally recognized surgeons cover exactly what you need to know, including advances in diagnostic and surgical techniques, minimally invasive surgeries, new interventional diagnostic techniques, and all relevant diseases. This comprehensive, practical reference is designed to help you choose and perform the most appropriate procedures that will minimize inpatient hospital time, curtail costs, and reduce overall recovery time for your patients. Presents cutting-edge guidance on pathology, diagnostics, surgery and non-operative intervention of the liver, biliary tract, and pancreas in one highly regarded, authoritative reference. Covers all surgical approaches, both open and minimally invasive. Considers all worldwide opinions and approaches to management, and includes key data on surgical outcomes to better inform clinical decision-making. Contains 161 chapters with updated references and additional figures—more than 1,500 illustrations in all. The imaging section has been reorganized to reflect a disease-based approach. Includes new and expanded sections on advances in molecular characterization of benign and malignant HPB diseases, perioperative management, interventional techniques, minimally invasive surgery and robotics, and therapeutic advances for malignant disease. Features a section dedicated entirely to operative technique, plus a new historical chapter authored by Professor Jacques Belghitti: “Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery: Historical Perspective.