Chemoradiation in Cancer Therapy

Description

The combination of chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation to treat solid tumors has now become a common treatment option in many clinical settings. In Chemoradiation in Cancer Therapy, internationally recognized experts in cancer biology and clinical research review the present status of these multimodality approaches to the management of solid tumors and speculate on possible future strategies for their use. As part of their comprehensive survey, the authors detail applications of combined modality therapy in lung, esophageal, breast, gastric, pancreatic, colon, and rectal cancers. They also show how radiation interacts with such chemotherapeutic agents as the platinum complexes, taxanes, and gemcitabine in the treatment of malignant gliomas, and head and neck cancer. Rounding out the presentation is a review of how to integrate new specific molecular-targeted agents into future multimodality therapy. Here the discussion centers on the antibody for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), antiangiogenesis agents, farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs), gene therapies, and signaling pathway inhibitors in combination with radiotherapy, and with or without classical chemotherapeutic agents. State-of-the-art and forward-looking, Chemoradiation in Cancer Therapy offers oncologists a thorough understanding of today's best current and future strategies available for the treatment of solid tumors by chemoradiation therapy. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Chemoradiation....Pages 3-22 Fluoropyrimidines as Radiation Sensitizers....Pages 23-44 Front Matter....Pages 45-45 The Role of Platinum Complexes in Combined Modality Therapy....Pages 47-63 Taxanes in Combined Modality Therapy....Pages 65-91 Camptothecin Radiation Sensitization....Pages 93-103 The Role of Gemcitabine in Combined Modality Therapy....Pages 105-126 Front Matter....Pages 127-127 Chemoradiation Strategies for Patients with Malignant Gliomas....Pages 129-144 Combined Modality Strategies in the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer....Pages 145-174 The Role of Combined Modality Therapy for Stage III Nonsmall-Cell Lung Cancer....Pages 175-195 Combined Modality Treatment of Small-Cell Lung Cancer....Pages 197-213 The Role of Chemoradiation in the Management of Esophageal Cancer....Pages 215-235 Combined Modality Therapy in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer....Pages 237-251 Combined Modality Therapy for Gastric, Pancreatic, and Biliary Tract Carcinomas....Pages 253-269 Chemoradiation in Therapy for Colon and Rectum Carcinoma....Pages 271-289 Chemoradiotherapy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer....Pages 291-302 The Role of Combined Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Gynecologic Malignancies....Pages 303-319 Front Matter....Pages 321-321 Overview of Specific Molecular Targeted Agents for Combined Modality Therapy....Pages 323-337 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases as Therapeutic Targets in Solid Tumors....Pages 339-348 Adenoviral p53 Gene Therapy Strategies in Nonsmall-Cell Lung Cancer....Pages 349-358 Tumor Microvasculature as a Therapeutic Target During Radiotherapy....Pages 359-378 Front Matter....Pages 321-321 Cancer Drug Discovery and Development....Pages 379-390 The Role of Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors in Combined Modality Therapy....Pages 391-408 Back Matter....Pages 409-420