Melanoma (eBook)

Melanoma is a cutting edge, comprehensive reference work on the topic of melanoma. The overarching goal is to provide detailed scholarly information which broadly covers all aspects of the clinical presentation and management of the disease, as well as the biological and scientific understanding of its pathogenesis and treatment. Key topics highlighted include recent breakthroughs in molecular diagnostics, breakthroughs in targeted therapeutic approaches, overviews of signaling and transcriptional pathways, and important controversies such as screening, early diagnosis, sentinel node biopsy, and prevention strategies. In all, the volume provides a cutting edge and comprehensive presentation of the field of melanoma, written by a team of internationally renowned thought-leaders.

David E. Fisher is a researcher, clinician and academic, and serves as Chief of the MGH Department of Dermatology, Director of the MGH Cutaneous Biology Research Center and Director of the Melanoma Center at MGH.  He is also  the President of the Society for Melanoma Research, the largest international society dedicated to the study of melanoma.  A professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Fisher came to the MGH from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), where he directed the Melanoma Program.

His research has focused on the molecular mechanisms of melanocyte biology; specifically, the developmental, signaling and transcriptional pathways responsible for human melanomas, hyperpigmentation, albinism and hair graying. Most recently, his work at the DFCI identified the transcription factor, Mitf, as essential for the development of normal melanocytes as well as responsible for cancerous transformations. As a clinician, he has worked to translate these new understandings into advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human diseases related to the skin and associated disorders.

A graduate of Swarthmore College with a degree in Biology and Chemistry, Fisher is also a concert cellist and received a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. After completing a doctoral degree at Rockefeller University, he began his medical training at Cornell University Medical College and his residency in Internal Medicine at the MGH. Following the completion of clinical fellowships in both adult and pediatric oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston and his postdoctoral research at MIT's Center for Cancer Research, Fisher joined the DFCI staff.

Boris C. Bastian, MD,  graduated from Humboldt-Gymnasium in Solingen, Germany, in 1980. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Munich, Germany, in 1988, he completed his residency in dermatology at the University of Wurtzburg, Germany. In 1997, he began working at the UCSF Cancer Center. Then in 1999, he joined the UCSF faculty with appointments in both dermatology and pathology.

 

His interests and investigative work includes a variety of projects during his tenure with UCSF. He is very interested in understanding the genetic underpinnings of skin cancer with the goal to improve diagnosis, therapy and prevention.

 

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Melanoma is a cutting edge, comprehensive reference work on the topic of melanoma. The overarching goal is to provide detailed scholarly information which broadly covers all aspects of the clinical presentation and management of the disease, as well as the biological and scientific understanding of its pathogenesis and treatment. Key topics highlighted include recent breakthroughs in molecular diagnostics, breakthroughs in targeted therapeutic approaches, overviews of signaling and transcriptional pathways, and important controversies such as screening, early diagnosis, sentinel node biopsy, and prevention strategies. In all, the volume provides a cutting edge and comprehensive presentation of the field of melanoma, written by a team of internationally renowned thought-leaders.