Textbook of Cell Signalling in Cancer

This book provides a simplified, yet comprehensive, overview of the signalling pathways operating between and inside cells, which will help younger oncologists find their way in the labyrinth of signalling pathways and in the multitude of signals and signal receptors, transducers and effectors that contribute to oncogenesis.

This comprehensive reference text is based on the master's courses delivered by Prof. Jacques Robert to graduate students at the University of Bordeaux, France. It includes a large number of colour schemas and figures that have been improved year after year for educational purposes. Signalling pathways are described individually and in depth, but without ignoring the multiplicity of interconnections and crosstalk. The presentation of each pathway is followed by a brief description of the alterations found in cancers as well as of the targeted pharmacological approaches that can be used to prevent or overcome the consequences of these oncogenic alterations. The basic mechanisms of molecular biology at the DNA replication, RNA transcription and protein activity levels are presented in a series of didactic annexes, enabling readers to better understand the alterations in signalling pathways.

Jacques Robert is a Professor of Biological Oncology at the University of Bordeaux, France and currently teaches cell biology, basic oncology and molecular pharmacology to medical and scientific students, with special courses on new developments in cancer targeted therapies. He is an oncobiologist at the department of Biopathology of Institut Bergonié, the Comprehensive cancer centre of Bordeaux, and is responsible for the routine and specialised clinical chemistry tests performed in patients. His research activities at INSERM U916 are focused on the molecular determinants of the activity of anticancer drugs, both at the levels of the patient's genome (pharmacogenetics) and at the level of the tumour genome (pharmacogenomics). This activity is developed on both in vitro and in vivo models and at the level of clinical studies aiming at identifying the genetic factors involved in the efficiency and toxicity of classical and targeted anticancer drugs, especially in colorectal, head-and-neck and breast cancers.