This series of books attempts to present, in a comprehensive manner, the field of oncology divided into three major areas; etiology, biology, and therapy. These books should serve as landmarks in the rapidly expanding experimental and clinical "universe" of this field. To some, they will be introductory; to others, a summary; for all, critical comments on the futuI'e of research. In l'ecognition of the difficulties inherent in attempting to pause and reflect while experimental data emerge with ever-increasing rapidity, the presentations take the form of overviews rather than reviews. Where...

As was shown in the first two volumes of this series, great strides have been made in identifying many of the agents or classes of substances responsible for carcinogenesis and in delineating their interactions with the cell. Clearly, the aim of such studies is that, once identified, these agents can be eliminated from the environment. Yet, despite these advances and the elimination of some important carcinogenic agents, one major problem exists. It is a constant monitor of all oncologic study and diminishes the importance of every experiment and of every clinical observation. As we noted...

Six years ago when the first edition of this volume appeared as the first of the series, questions were posed in its preface that are as valid today as they were then. In that preface, I proposed the following challenges: (1) We must identify carcinogenic agents, and by an analysis of their "nature," e. g., structure and physical characteristics, we may better understand their mechanism of action. (2) We must identify crucial interactions between these carcinogens and impor- tant macromolecules within the cell, distinguishing those which relate to carcinogenesis from those which are...

The promise of chemotherapeutic control in the field of oncology seemed, in the beginning, no less bright than it had proven in the field of bacterial disease, and, therefore, its failures were felt all the more. Despite the serendipitous discoveries and inspired insights which tantalized us with striking remissions, or the rare tumors which proved to be fully susceptible to a given agent, in the main, there has been either total failure or a painfully slow acquisition of an armamentarium against a limited number of malignancies. To expect more, however, was the result of ignorance of the...

The history of the development of cancer therapy has been marked by a recurring pattern, one of initially exciting and encouraging results as new methods were introduced, followed by dismaying failures. The extremity of the disease and its high mortality have dictated that each means of damaging tumor cells would be rapidly explored and exploited as a mode of therapy, long before the correspond- ing theory and technique were completely understood and perfected. Thus radiation was used as an antitumor agent almost immediately following recogni- tion of its cytodestructive capability. Equally...