G.N.J. Tytgat – författare

Cancer of the digestive system, which includes the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas and gall bladder, represents a major cause of cancer mor­ bidity and mortality worldwide. In the year 2000, these malignancies were responsible for 30% of all cancers and 36% of all cancer-associated deaths (Parkin DM, Bray Fl, Devesa SS, Cancer burden in the year 2000. The global picture. Eur J Cancer 2001; 37: S4-66). This book provides a concise, but more than adequate overview of these malignancies and their premalignant states. It gives updated in­ formation on etiology - whether genetic or environmental, pathology, clinical features and treatments. It also gives information on screening, prevention and chemoprevention, where available. Understanding these latter features are of prime importance as we clinicians are moving from treatment of endstage disease, to prevention, chemoprevention and early diagnosis in order to reduce the cancer burden, to try and delay or at least modulate its manifestations and cure it by diagnosing in the earli­ est and curable stage.

Cancer of the digestive system, which includes the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas and gall bladder, represents a major cause of cancer mor­ bidity and mortality worldwide. In the year 2000, these malignancies were responsible for 30% of all cancers and 36% of all cancer-associated deaths (Parkin DM, Bray Fl, Devesa SS, Cancer burden in the year 2000. The global picture. Eur J Cancer 2001; 37: S4-66). This book provides a concise, but more than adequate overview of these malignancies and their premalignant states. It gives updated in­ formation on etiology - whether genetic or environmental, pathology, clinical features and treatments. It also gives information on screening, prevention and chemoprevention, where available. Understanding these latter features are of prime importance as we clinicians are moving from treatment of endstage disease, to prevention, chemoprevention and early diagnosis in order to reduce the cancer burden, to try and delay or at least modulate its manifestations and cure it by diagnosing in the earli­ est and curable stage.

Campy/o/meler pylori was described for the first time in 1983. Up to now more than 100 papers have been published dealing with its microbiological properties and its clinical implications. The lime has come to survey the field, to evaluate the hith­ erto accumulated information, and 10 discuss the questions thai should be answered in the ruture. It was for these purposes that the First International Symposium on Campy/abaeter pylori was held. bringing together specialists from a variety of discipl ines, including basic scientists as well as clinicians. This book is based on papers given at the symposium. We are very grateful 10 Rohm-Pharma for undertaking to sponsor this meeting, and to Mrs. C. 1. Klein and her starr for the impeccable organisation which permillcd us to work in such a pleasant environment, In the interest of rapidity of publication, we have reduced the amount of editing to a minimum and have not, in any sense, "re­ fereed" the discussions, which were written by the contributors at the time of the question-and-answer session. They were also veiled by their authors at the proof stage, and we have done our best to retain their original spontaneous flavour. We hope, in this way. 10 have produced a satisfactory record of the events and an up-Io-dale overview of research on Campylobacrer pylori.