MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN TUMORIGENESIS AND THEIR SURGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Our understanding of normal and malignant cell growth has rapidly adva nced in the last two decades as new technologies have accelerated the ability to resolve the underlying molecular mechanisms. The speed and complexity of this advance, as well as the inadequate and confused nom enclature of molecular oncology, has made this field difficult to foll ow. Nevertheless, many future therapies will be targeted to a genomic level and clinicians will be called upon to communicate with basic sci entists in implementing them. To facilitate the surgeon's part in this dialogue, we present a broad review of the molecular genetics of canc er. The selected bibliography contains many review articles by leading researchers in this field. Particular emphasis bag been placed on the themes that are emerging, such as oncogenic mechanisms, tumor suppres sor genes,signal transduction, the multistage concept of carcinogenesi s, and molecular diagnostics and therapies.