Molecular Markers of Brain Tumor Cells (eBook)

Childhood brain tumors are a diverse group of diseases characterized by the abnormal growth of tissue contained within the skull. Other than leukemia and lymphoma, brain tumors are the most common type of neoplasms that occur in children. The leading cause of death from childhood neoplasms among persons up to 19 years is brain tumors. As such, this book is a review of the most recent molecular biological research concerning brain tumors with references and comparisons to a variety of neoplastic disorders. The book then uses this information to foreshadow the direction that future anti-neoplastic therapies will take. Because of the wide spectrum of the objectives of the book, any individual involved in cancer research will greatly benefit from the work. Histopathologists, neuropathologists, clinical and research oncologists, and medical students will find this book to be an invaluable resource as a reference guide. Patients and their families will also find the book useful as it offers a comprehensive update on new, non-classical therapeutic modality options and contains a detailed description and analysis of brain tumors. Such an endeavor has yet to be undertaken by any other book and may prove to be the most comprehensive book on brain tumors thus far.

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I. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF TUMORS. 1. Brain Tumors 1. Introduction 2. Medulloblastoma 3. Glial Tumors 2. Immunophenotypic Characterization of Infiltrating Poly- and Mononuclear Cells in Childhood Brain Tumors 1. Introduction 2. The Significance of Immunohistochemistry 3. Original Immunohistochemical Observations 4. Intermediate filaments (IFs) 5. Expression of Homeobox B3, B4, and C6 Gene Products 6. Cell proliferation 7. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) 8. p53, the guardian of the integrity of the genome 9. Apoptosis in Brain Tumors 10. Survivin 11. Tumor-related Neoangiogenesis in Childhood Brain Tumors 12. Presence of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) 13. The MAGE gene family II. ANTI-NEOPLASTIC BIOLOGICAL THERAPIES 3. Experimental Therapies in Brain Tumors 4. Biologic Anti-Neoplastic Therapies 1. Introduction 2. Active nonspecific immunomodulation of natural immunity 3. Thymic hormones 4. Interferons: basic and preclinical studies 5. Tumor Necrosis Factors 6. The discovery of interleukin-2: basic principles 5. The lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cell phenomenon 1. Administration of rIL-2 and LAK cells: preclinical trials 6. Angiogenesis Inhibition in Anti-Neoplastic Therapy 7. Antigen Presentation by Dendritic Cells and Their Significance in Anti-Neoplastic Immunotherapy 1. Active antigen specific immunotherapy (tumor vaccines) 2. Antigen Presentation within Childhood Brain Tumors 3. Immunosuppression within the Cellular Microenvironment of Childhood Brain Tumors 4. The Dendritic Cell Network 5. Antigen Presentation by DCs 6. The Significance of DCs in Anti-Neoplastic Immunotherapy 8. Genetically Engineered Antibodies for Direct Anti-Neoplastic Treatment and Systematic Delivery of Various Therapeutic Agents to Cancer Cells 1. Introduction 2. Human Cancer Cell Related Antigens 3. Oncogenes and Growth Factors in Neoplastic Cells 4. Antibodies and Neoplastic Cells 5. Anti-neoplastic Immunotherapeutical Regiments Influenced by Immunohistochemistry 6. Human Antibodies 7. Anti-Idiotypic Antibodies 8. Bispecific Antibodies 9. Radiolabeled Antibodies 10. Construction of Immunotoxins 11. Monoclonal Antibodies: Carriers of Drugs, Toxins and Cytotoxic Cells 12. Clinical Trials with Monoclonal Antibodies and their Minimal Toxicity 9. Cancer-Testis Antigens: Promising Targets for Antigen Directed Anti-neoplastic Immunotherapy 1. Introduction 2. Cancer/Testis Antigens 3. Detection of Cancer/Testis Antigens in Various Malignant Neoplasms and their Therapeutic Significance Prologue III. APPENDIX 10. Materials and Methods 1. Tissues and Tissue Handling 2. Libraries of Antibodies 3. Antigen Retrieval Technique 4. Immunoalkaline Phosphatase Antigen Detection Technique 5. Immunoperoxidase Antigen Detection Technique 6. Controls in Immunocytochemistry 7. Evaluation of the Immunoreactivity (immunostaining) 8. Tissue Processing for Tissue Culture Experiments 9. Preparation of Thymic, Peripheral Blood and Bone Marrow Cell Suspensions 10. Isolation of Cortical Thymocytes 11. Isolation of Thymic Nurse Cells (TNCs) 12. Thymic Stromal Cell (RE & DC) Cultures 13. Proliferation Assay (PA) for Thymocytes and Peripheral Blood Hematopoietic Cells 14. Transmission Electronmicroscopy (TEM) of Cultured Thymic Medullary Cells (RE, DC, including LC, & IDC) and Macrophages15. Scanning Electronmicroscopic (SEM) Procedure for Tissue Samples