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

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.