This is an impressively thoughtful, beautifully balanced analysis of where we stand today in the critical attempt to understand, and thereby defeat cancer as a scourge on humanity. Not only is it the perfect text for a serious course on cancer biology, it should be read by every cancer researcher -
Bruce Alberts, University of California, San Francisco, USA The Biology of Cancer is no doubt the definitive statement on its topic today. -
Science, 11 August 2006: Vol. 313. no. 5788
There is no comparable text in cancer biology and no single book that is so current and informative.
-Nature, November 30, 2006, Vol 444
'The Biology of Cancer, written by the distinguished American cancer biologist Robert Weinberg, is by far the most extensive of these new works and, as the product of a single author, is a remarkable achievement. The book is beautifully illustrated in full colour and well supplied with key review articles. It is extremely well written in language that should be accessible to the non-expert. Overall, this is a remarkable achievement that is by far the most comprehensive coverage of this field available.'
- The Times Higher Education Supplement, February 23rd 2007 "The breadth of the topics covered, the clear writing style, the logical organization and the beautiful figures make The Biology of Cancer a classic text for any biologist interested in cancerAn additional strength of the book is the multimedia CD¦Thus, The Biology of Cancer is not only a great read but also an outstanding learning tool."-
Nature Cell Biology (November 2007) vol. 9, no. 11
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
This textbook, aimed at the advanced undergraduate and graduate biology and medical students covers the basic biology of cancer at the molecular andcellular level. Research into cancer in many different directions has been continuing at an accelerated pace since about World War II. In 1975 a major breakthrough was made by H.E. Varmus and J.M. Bishop on San Francisco. The result has been the creation of the new branch of biology covered by this book.
The amount of information discovered in the three decades since then has given us an immense database on the root causes of cancer. The basic discovery that cancer is not one disease but many, some 110 at last count, has led to vast amounts of data.
This book begins to lay out the underlying laws and principles that are beginning to emerge from that data. At the same time, this book is written as a recruiting pamphlet to attract new generations of researchers to move the science forward. While the book points out the discoveries that have been made, it also points out areas where questions remain.
At 850 pages, this is a large book, covering an immense amount of material. In addition there is a CD-ROM with even more material. It has figures, tables, micrographs loaded into Powerpoint presentations that cover each chapter which provides an excellent study aid. There are mini-lectures on various subjects. There are also several movies that will aid in the understanding of some of the processes involved.
A poster 'The Pathways of Human Cancer' summarizes many of the signaling pathways implicated in tumor development. This poster has been produced by Cell Signaling Technology.
The rate of development in the field means that this book will need a new edition shortly, but for the moment this represents the state of the art as it is known today.
