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 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.

Drug Resistance in Colorectal Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies, Volume Eight, summarizes the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in colorectal cancer, along with the most up-to-date therapeutic strategies available. The book discusses reasons why colorectal tumors become refractory during the progression of the disease, but also explains how drug resistance occurs during chemotherapy. In addition, users will find the current therapeutic strategies used by clinicians in their practice in treating colorectal cancer. The combination of conventional anticancer drugs with chemotherapy-sensitizing agents plays a pivotal role in improving the outcome of colorectal cancer patients, in particular those with drug-resistant cancer cells. From a clinical point-of-view, the content of this book provides clinicians with updated therapeutic strategies for a better choice of drugs for drug-resistant colorectal cancer patients. It will be a valuable source for cancer researchers, oncologists and several members of biomedical field who are dedicated to better treat patients with colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed condition in oncology, affecting around 1.23 million individuals per year, according to recent statistics. Of these patients, about 50% will develop liver metastases and approximately 20% will present a stage IV disease at diagnosis. These statistics make colorectal liver metastases (CLM) an issue of major importance in current oncology. The area of CLM is subject to great and continuous advances, as its pathophysiologic mechanisms are better understood and more therapeutic and surgical options are developed. Consequently, all professionals involved with the diagnosis, treatment and follow up of CLM should be kept up to date with the latest advances on the field, to provide high standard medical care to their patients. This book is designed to present the state-of-the-art in CLM management and, in doing so, to review the current evidence on CLM, discussing all important topics in the field. Coverage is broad and comprehensive, encompassing introductory topics (history, definitions, epidemiology, etc.), basic science subjects (molecular biology, genetics, dissemination process, etc.) and practical clinical topics (tumor behavior, diagnosis, drug therapy, radiation therapy, surgery, ablation, multidisciplinary teams, etc.). Although comprehensive on the coverage and selection of topics, each chapter is concise and objective, dissecting topics in a practical and direct format. Evidences and recommendations are included. Chapters display a brief introduction of the common knowledge, go straight to the detailed revision of the most recent years of the literature, and end with practical closing observations. This book is a tool for professionals (general and cancer surgeons, HPB surgeons, clinical oncologists, gastroenterologists and medical residents) and interns who search for a qualified and reader friendly revision on topics concerning Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases.

Colorectal cancer has for more than two decades served as the paradigm for the multi-step concept of cancer initiation and progression. Perhaps more than any other organ site, cancer of the colon is extensively characterized at the molecular level. We are now entering a time when molecular classification, rather than histologic classification, of cancer subtypes is driving the development of clinical trials with emerging targeted therapies. The book will focus on the progression from the identification of mutations that drive colorectal cancer initiation and progression to the search for novel therapies to treat the disease.

In an easy to use dictionary style of A–Z presentation, this volume lists the taxonomy and medicinal usage of Indian plants. Also given are both traditional Indian and international synonyms along with details of the habitats of the plants. This book, illustrated by over 200 full-color figures, is aimed at bringing out an updated Acute Study Dictionary of plant sources of Indian medicine. The text is based on authentic treatises which are the outcome of scientific screening and critical evaluation by eminent scholars. The Dictionary is presented in a user-friendly format, as a compact, handy, easy to use and one-volume reference work.