Textbook of Cell Signalling in Cancer

This book provides a simplified, yet comprehensive, overview of the signalling pathways operating between and inside cells, which will help younger oncologists find their way in the labyrinth of signalling pathways and in the multitude of signals and signal receptors, transducers and effectors that contribute to oncogenesis.§§This comprehensive reference text is based on the master s courses delivered by Prof. Jacques Robert to graduate students at the University of Bordeaux, France. It includes a large number of color schemas and figures that have been improved year after year for educational purposes. Signalling pathways are described individually and in depth, but without ignoring the multiplicity of interconnections and crosstalk. The presentation of each pathway is followed by a brief description of the alterations found in cancers as well as of the targeted pharmacological approaches that can be used to prevent or overcome the consequences of these oncogenic alterations. The basic mechanisms of molecular biology at the DNA replication, RNA transcription and protein activity levels are presented in a series of didactic annexes, enabling readers to better understand the alterations in signalling pathways.§§More than ever, oncologists need to learn from biology in order to not only understand what cancers are and how they evolve, but also to treat them effectively. There are currently more than 750 ongoing oncological clinical trials for the evaluation of new, targeted therapy approaches. It is now firmly established that cancers are, in many aspects, cell-signalling diseases: cancer cells can divert the messages exchanged between cells to their own benefit, mask or overexpress the receptors of these messages and mimic the intracellular signal transduction pathways governing the transcription of the genes required for their proliferation and migratory and invading capacities.§§