Understanding Cancer Therapies

Cancer is one of the world's most dreaded diseases. Yet the past two decades have seen major revolutions in cancer therapy and steadily growing hopes for a cure. This book, written in easily understood language, provides an extensive look at the way medical professionals are treating the disease today. Chapters provide:

• Rationale and principles integral to disease management
• Biological basis for different therapies
• Explanations of the protocols behind radiation, chemotherapy, drug treatments, and surgery
• Logic behind therapies chosen for such different kinds of cancer as leukemia, lymphoma, retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, germ-cell tumors, soft-tissue and bone sarcomas, among others
• Information on the most current procedures
• Further reading and resources for patients and families

Chapters on clinical practice discuss the differing approaches to cancer in adults and in children. The book closes with a survey of some of the most experimental therapies and the status of the search for a cure. Helen S. L. Chan, M.D., of Toronto, Canada, is a staff hematologist/oncologist and professor at the University of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Her work has been published in New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research, and other periodicals.