Frank Westermann - Böcker

This book provides a state-of-the-art review of the biology, treatment, and other critical aspects of neuroblastoma, reflecting the dramatic advances that have been achieved in understanding and management. Topics are arranged according to the book’s dominant themes of the “seed” (tumor genomics, epigenetics, metabolism, and stem cells) and the “soil” (tumor microenvironment, adaptive and innate immunity, and exosomes) and how both of these influences can serve as rich targets for intervention, whether by targeted molecular therapy or immunotherapy. Therapeutic strategies that are currently in use or under consideration for the future are discussed in detail, with the focus on precision medicine. Further individual chapters are devoted to the biology and genetics of relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma and emerging methods of evaluating tumor burden. Finally, in keeping with the, albeit modest, increase in cure rates in high-risk disease, immune and cellular therapies are reviewed. This coverage of what is becoming a not-so-enigmatic tumor will appeal to a broad readership including both experimental oncologists and clinicians who care for patients with neuroblastoma.