Gastrointestinal Oncology

Book excerpt: In 74 chapters, Gastrointestinal Oncology brings together a diverse group of specialists to provide the most authoritative, up-to-date and encyclopedic volume currently available on the subject. The first part of this text introduces a series of concepts and topics taht are important to gastrointestinal malignancies in general. These topics include epidemiologic principles, prevention, screening, familial GI cancers, developmental and molecular biology, pathobiology, general therapeutic principles, emerging therapies, and palliative care. The second part of the book covers each of the specific cancers affecting the human gastrointestinal tract. These chapters are introduced by state of the art discussions outlining our current understanding of the pathobiology and molecular biology relevant to each cancer. Subsequent sections describe the multidisciplinary management of specific clinical situations. By organizing the treatment-related chapters around clinical scenarios, the reader will readily find the information necessary to effectively manage the complex clinical situations encountered by patients with gastrointestinal malignancies.