Marvin A. Rich - Böcker

In breast cancer as in other cancers on the front line of modern interdisciplinary research we have crossed the threshhold of new understanding. Fueled by an awareness that breast cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women and honed by rapid technological advances in molecular mechanisms, major inroads into the darkness of this scourge have been accomplished during the past several years. Basic laboratory and clinical research findings must influence and in turn be influenced by efforts to detect, to diagnose and to cure the human disease. It is indeed gratifying to note that the efforts of scientists and clinicians from throughout the world reported in this volume are achieving this objective. The first section of the book focuses on the molecular and genetic basis of breast cancer. The role of specific oncogenes in mammary tumorigenesis using transgenic mice and mammary glands correlating molecular events with specific stages in neoplastic development are described and discussed. Such topics as the nature of specific oncogenes, levels of oncogene expression, the alteration of expression of other growth regulatory genes and the state of the cell in which the oncogene is expressed are specifically addressed. This section of the book is rounded out with discussions on the potential of genetic alterations as indicators of prognosis, the characterization of full-length cDNA codes for breast cancer markers and the function of antigens in tuomorigenesis.

Effective control of breast cancer depends on three types of research accomplishment -- understanding the disease's origins and progression: successfully applying this knowledge to methods of detection, diagnosis and treatment: and finding ways to make these advances truly available to the public as effectively as possible. The significant progress that is occurring across this entire spectrum of pioneering investigation is reflected in these proceedings of the 1987 biennial conference of the International Association for Breast Cancer Research. The first section of the book focuses on oncogenes and chemical effectors that may play key roles in early cell transformation leading to breast cancer. Research discussed includes identification of specific oncogenes which appear to be involved in the disease, study of their activation and expression, examination of the biological effects of various growth factors isolated from breast cancer cell lines, and investigation of the molecular mechanisms by which estrogens promote and stimulate growth of breast cancers. The second group of chapters deals with several other complex factors and phenomena which may influence tumor formation in the breast, for example, expression of abnormalities by fibroblasts, disruption of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, and loss of ability nili to synthesize normal basal lamina resulting in alterations in the extracellular matrix. Clarification of the processes of normal mammary gland development and differentiation is central to much of this work.

We stand today on the threshold of a new understanding of cancer. Primarily through the powerful tools of molecular biology, unified hypotheses explaining the origins of the disease are emerging and rapidly being validated. This volume, which presents the latest findings from laboratories throughout the world on the role of RNA tumor viruses in cancer, is a celebration of these achievements and a prediction of further progress leading ultimately to the control of the disease. It is important in this context to recall the natural history or life cycle of RNA cancer virology. From the earliest days of the science, when viruses were first recognized as distinct biologic agents of etiologic significance, their role in cancer was proposed and hotly debated. The critical early discoveries, even those made as recently as 25 years ago, were met with rejection; not skepticism or cautious restraint, but outright rejection. During the 60's, there was a gradual acceptance of the association between viruses and cancer, the result of landmark studies in experimental systems, and this led to a frenzy of activity in the field. There followed another period of doubt and uncertainty, due to the difficulty in attempting to apply directly, and in retrospect inappropriately, the tenets of infectious disease to human cancers, only to have the field resurrected, revitalized and redirected by the explosion of progress in molecular biology and genetics.

In breast cancer as in other cancers on the front line of modern interdisciplinary research we have crossed the threshhold of new understanding. Fueled by an awareness that breast cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women and honed by rapid technological advances in molecular mechanisms, major inroads into the darkness of this scourge have been accomplished during the past several years. Basic laboratory and clinical research findings must influence and in turn be influenced by efforts to detect, to diagnose and to cure the human disease. It is indeed gratifying to note that the efforts of scientists and clinicians from throughout the world reported in this volume are achieving this objective. The first section of the book focuses on the molecular and genetic basis of breast cancer. The role of specific oncogenes in mammary tumorigenesis using transgenic mice and mammary glands correlating molecular events with specific stages in neoplastic development are described and discussed. Such topics as the nature of specific oncogenes, levels of oncogene expression, the alteration of expression of other growth regulatory genes and the state of the cell in which the oncogene is expressed are specifically addressed. This section of the book is rounded out with discussions on the potential of genetic alterations as indicators of prognosis, the characterization of full-length cDNA codes for breast cancer markers and the function of antigens in tuomorigenesis.

Effective control of breast cancer depends on three types of research accomplishment -- understanding the disease's origins and progression: successfully applying this knowledge to methods of detection, diagnosis and treatment: and finding ways to make these advances truly available to the public as effectively as possible. The significant progress that is occurring across this entire spectrum of pioneering investigation is reflected in these proceedings of the 1987 biennial conference of the International Association for Breast Cancer Research. The first section of the book focuses on oncogenes and chemical effectors that may play key roles in early cell transformation leading to breast cancer. Research discussed includes identification of specific oncogenes which appear to be involved in the disease, study of their activation and expression, examination of the biological effects of various growth factors isolated from breast cancer cell lines, and investigation of the molecular mechanisms by which estrogens promote and stimulate growth of breast cancers. The second group of chapters deals with several other complex factors and phenomena which may influence tumor formation in the breast, for example, expression of abnormalities by fibroblasts, disruption of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, and loss of ability nili to synthesize normal basal lamina resulting in alterations in the extracellular matrix. Clarification of the processes of normal mammary gland development and differentiation is central to much of this work.

The control of breast cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in women, will depend ultimately on our understanding of the disease--its origin, and progression which in turn will permit the effective management of its treatment, its detection, and perhaps even its prevention. It is for a better understanding of this spectrum of biological processes crossing back and forth across scientific and clinical disciplines that this volume strives. Several broad topics have been addressed in organizing a large mass of work representing state of the art updates from many of the major breast cancer research groups around the world. The chapters in the first section speak to the factors affecting the growth and development of normal and malignant mammary epithelium. Special emphasis is placed on insights drawn from developmental biology, the cellular interactions that occur in the mammary gland during growth and differentiation; and the study of hormones and growth factors in the regulation of growth and differentiation of normal and malignant breast tissues. In the section on the biology of breast cancer, there is a characterization of relevant model systems for the study of breast cancer and their contribution to our understanding of preneoplasia and progression in mammary cancer. Included as well is the current status of major studies on the immunological aspects of breast cancer and the latest efforts in the development of markers for metastasis in breast cancer.