Transforming Growth Factor-jl in Cancer Therapy, Volume I: Basicand Clinical Biology The present volume brings together a wealth of information that is fundamental to understanding the roleofTGF- in the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of cancer. It is not even 25 years sinceTGF- was first isolated and characterized as a dimeric pep tide from both human and bovine sources (1-3), but the entire fieldofTGF- research has grown and expanded so that it is now a central theme in all of cell biology. There is almost no tissue or organ in the mammalian body in whichTGF- does not playa central...

Transforming Growth Factor-B in Cancer Therapy, Volume II: Cancer Treatment and Therapy The chapters in this volume confer an abundance of knowledge about the current state ofour understanding oftransforming growth factor-B (TGF-B) in cancer treatment and therapy. Unlike several more traditional positive polypeptide growth factors that stim ulate cellular proliferation, the prototypical TGF-B is now known to inhibit the growth of most normal cell types, including those of epithelial and mesenchymal origin. However, there are examplesofcell types that can be stimulated by TGF-B under certain...