Fundamentals of Oncology, Revised and Expanded PDF

Preface to the Fourth Edition

It has been some 15 years since the third edition of this text was published. The original purpose of the book was to replace notes in a course, "Introduction to Experimental Oncology," which has been given in the Department of Oncology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for more than 25 years. The course has evolved from being primarily directed towards graduate students to one that includes more than 80% undergraduates, usually juniors and seniors in various sciences. The course has always been offered for two credits, but with the enormous increase in information in the field of oncology, it will likely be increased to three credits.

In this revision, four new chapters have been added and the other chapters significantly expanded. The genetics of neoplasia is now covered in two chapters, as is the stage of progression. Discussion of carcinogenesis in humans has also been expanded to two full chapters in addition to the chapter on the evaluation of risk of carcinogenic environmental agents. Finally, another chapter has been added in the area of host–tumor relationships, covering endocrine and stromal responses. Of necessity, the glossary has been somewhat expanded, as have the number of figures and tables. (We are very grateful to the authors and publishers who gave us permission to incorporate their work in this text. In addition, for instructors wishing to use this text in classes in oncology, we have developed an extended series of slide illustrations that may be found at our web site: http://mcardle.oncology.wisc.edu/pitot.+ Click on "Courses" and scroll down to "Oncology 401.")

As in the third edition, I have again cited references in the text. Although some of the third edition's references have been retained because of their usefulness, a larger number of new references have been added since the last edition than were in the third edition itself. Still, this fundamental text is not exhaustive in its treatment of the literature (although some students may think it is), but it presents reasonably representative samples of each of the topics and areas covered. My sincere apologies are extended to any colleagues whose work was not specifically cited. If there are other subjects in the field of oncology that should be covered in a basic text such as this, I would certainly appreciate receiving such information.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my colleague Dr. Daniel Loeb, who, after some arm-twisting, agreed to write the vast majority of Chapter 4, on viruses and cancer. This field has become much more complex since the third edition, and I felt need of an expert in the area. I am also grateful to other colleagues who read and made critical comments on the manuscript, especially Drs. Norman Drinkwater, the late Dr. James Miller, and Bill Sugden of the McArdle Laboratory; Dr. Lynn Allen-Hoffmann of the Department of Pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; my son, Dr. Henry C. Pitot IV, and his colleagues in the Department of Oncology of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; and Dr. Peter Duesberg of the University of California, Berkeley. In particular, I express my deepest thanks to Dr. Ilse Riegel for her invaluable help in editing and correcting the manuscript throughout all its stages. Our special appreciation and thanks go to Mrs. Mary Jo Markham and Mrs. Kristen Adler for their patient, enduring, and expert transcribing and typing of the manuscript and indexing the entire book. A special thanks is given to my colleague Dr. Yi-hua Xu, who aided us immensely in developing and digitizing figures.

Perhaps the greatest debt of gratitude in developing the fourth edition of this text is owed my wife and our children, who have endured the constant "working on the book" that kept me from spending more time with them. As the final corrections were being made to the text, our oldest daughter was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Several years ago she gave me a small blackboard on which was written, "A teacher affects eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops." I can only hope and pray that these words are prophetic and that this text may play a small role in the ultimate control of cancer.