Abnormal Chromosomes

Explore the past, present, and future of cancer cytogenetics

In Abnormal Chromosomes: The Past, Present, and Future of Cancer Cytogenetics, globally renowned researchers Drs. Sverre Heim and Felix Mitelman deliver a state-of-the-art review of how cancer cytogenetic analyses have contributed to an improved understanding of tumorigenesis as well as to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. The book also discusses how cytogenetics – the study of chromosomes - meets, interacts with, and cross-fertilizes other investigative technologies, including molecular somatic cell genetics.

The book provides an impetus to think more deeply about the role chromosomes, and their abnormalities, play in health and disease, especially in neoplastic disorders. From which origins did cytogenetics develop? How did the finding of acquired chromosomal abnormalities in cells of leukemias and solid tumors influence our understanding of cancer as a biological process? How was information of this nature put to good use in the clinical management of cancer patients?

Abnormal Chromosomes: The Past, Present, and Future of Cancer Cytogenetics offers readers:

• A thorough introduction to ancient theories of disease, the advent of cellular pathology, and how a scientific interest in chromosomes developed
• Comprehensive exploration of the conceptual importance of Theodor Boveri and his somatic mutation theory of cancer
• A detailed chronological resume of cancer cytogenetic discoveries during the 20th century
• In-depth discussions of the role of chromosome abnormalities, oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes in leukemias, lymphomas, and solid tumors, together with a survey of what chromosome analyses have revealed about the clonal evolution of neoplastic cell populations
• A discussion of the importance of pathogenetic classifications of neoplastic diseases, the role chromosome abnormalities play in this context, and which technological breakthroughs can be expected in chromosome-oriented cancer research

Abnormal Chromosomes: The Past, Present, and Future of Cancer Cytogenetics was written for everyone with a scientific or clinical interest in cancer, especially how acquired chromosome abnormalities lead to neoplastic transformation. The book teaches how cytogenetic analyses contribute to a better understanding of tumorigenesis, but also how the finding of specific chromosome aberrations can be crucial for the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of cancer patients.

About the Authors

Sverre Heim has over thirty years' experience in the field of cancer cytogenetics. He has used chromosomal markers to trace the clonal relationships among neoplastic cell populations and determined their patterns of evolution. He has served on editorial boards and scientific advisory committees and authored nearly 500 scientific publications.

Felix Mitelman is an elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Genes, Chromosomes & Cancer.