Tumorigenesis -- Tumor Growth and Cell Proliferation -- Tumor Angiogenesis -- Pathophysiology of Solid Tumors -- Adhesion, Invasion, Integrins, and Beyond -- The Biology of Cancer Metastasis -- Role of the Immune System in Cancer Development and Therapeutic Implications -- Tumor Detection by Biological Markers -- Tumor Imaging with Special Emphasis on the Role of Positron Emission Tomography in Radiation Treatment Planning -- Quantitative Cell Kill of Radio- and Chemotherapy -- The Impact of Molecularly Targeted Therapy in Multi-Modality Therapy -- Target-Based Interventions to Treat Radiation-Induced Lung Injury -- Mechanisms of Treatment Resistance: Molecular and Clinical Examples for Radio- and Chemotherapy -- DNA Repair and Cell Cycle Regulation After Ionizing Irradiation -- Physiological Mechanisms of Treatment Resistance -- Influence of Time Factor and Repopulation on Treatment Resistance -- Molecular Tools, Expression Profiling -- Strategies of Gene Transfer and Silencing, and Technical Considerations -- Tumor Biology’s Impact on Clinical Cure Rates -- Dose-Escalated High-Precision Radiotherapy: a Method to Overcome Variations in Biology and Radiosensitivity Limiting the Success of Conventional Approaches? -- Treatment of the Primary Tumor in Metastatic Cancer: Influence on Outcome.

This book provides an overview of the fundamentals of tumor biology and the influence of various biologic factors, including inhomogeneity of cancer cells, microenvironment, and host factors, on the design of therapeutic strategies and the outcome of established and emerging treatments. Particular attention is devoted to multidisciplinary combined modality therapy. The topics reviewed include tumorigenesis, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, physiology of malignant tissues, adhesion and invasion, development of metastases, and the role of the immune system in cancer development. Subsequent chapters focus on cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. The principles of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and molecularly targeted therapy are discussed, treatment resistance is explained, and strategies for rational combinations are provided, including the design of translational studies. Furthermore, the principles and clinical implications of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, such as gene expression profiling, gene transfer and silencing, proteomics, and molecular imaging, are presented. The chapters in this book have been written by an outstanding group of basic scientists, clinical researchers, and cancer professionals with long experience in the field. Their aim is to educate and inspire all those who devote most of their work to research into cancer and its treatment.