This book describes the general biology of mast cells, their development, anatomical distribution, phenotype and secretory products, as well as the biology of tumour cells, the tumour microenvironment and the development of a vascular network in the tumour.

Mast cells are versatile, tissue-homing secretory cells, which were first described by Paul Ehrlich in 1878. Mast cells have long been implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic reactions and certain protective responses to parasites. Their functional role, however, has been discovered to be increasingly complex and multifarious. Mast cells have been implicated in various cell-mediated immune reactions, being found in tissues from multiple disease sites, and as a component of the host reaction to bacteria, parasite, and even virus infections. They have also been shown to participate to...