Full Description
Malignant melanoma is the focus of investigations which range from basic re search to clinical trials with conventional therapy and with biological response modifiers. The involvement of investigators with different backgrounds in combi nation with recent progress in biotechnology has facilitated the characterization of the antigenic profile of melanoma cells, the analysis of the structural and function al properties of melanoma-associated antigens, and the application of immuno diagnostic and immunotherapeutic approaches to melanoma. As a result, a large body of information about various aspects of melanoma has been rapidly accumu lated during the past few years. In organizing this book I aimed at providing a readily available source of infor mation on the current research in melanoma. To this end I invited investigators with active research programs to contribute chapters describing and discussing the significance of their most recent results. To facilitate the preparation of the manu scripts and to avoid duplicating other recently published books on melanoma, I discouraged the contributors from providing extensive reviews of the literature on the various topics. Although I made every effort to be as complete as possible in the selection of the contributors, while writing this preface I realized that I had overlooked at least three investigators whose work should have been included.
Contents
Biology.- Growth Regulation in Normal and Malignant Melanocytes.- Gangliosides in Melanoma.- Analysis of Human Melanosome-Specific Antigen in Malignant Melanoma and Its Precursors.- Role of Melanosomal Antigen in Melanoma Regression and Depigmentation.- Immunology and Molecular Biology.- Cross-Species Melanoma Antigen.- Melanoma-Associated Antigens in Xiphophorus Fish.- Characterization of p97, a Human Melanoma-Associated Antigen, and Development of a Recombinant Vaccine for Melanoma.- Molecular Cloning of Genes That Specify Melanoma-Associated Antigens.- Melanoma Antigens and Their Association with Malignant Transformation and Tumor Progression.- Antibody-Mediated Modulation of Melanoma-Associated Antigens: Access of Monoclonal Antibodies into Melanoma Cells and Melanoma Tissue.- The Central Role of Cell Surface-Deposited C3b in Complement Susceptibility of Human Melanoma Cells.- Second Generation Monoclonal Antibodies to a Human Melanoma-Associated Proteoglycan.- Immunobiology of Ocular Malignant Melanoma.- Immunobiology of the Regional Lymph Nodes in Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma.- HLA Class II Antigens on Melanoma Cells.- HLA Class II Molecules: Form and Function in Melanocytic Tumor Progression.- Clinical and Pathological Aspects.- Clinical and Immunohistological Features of Uveal Melanomas.- The Familial Atypical Multiple Mole Melanoma Syndrome and Visceral Cancer.- Immunopathology of Melanoma with Monoclonal Antibodies.- Changes in the Tumor-Associated Inflammatory Infiltrates in the Course of Local and Systemic Progression of Cutaneous Melanoma.- Clinical Implications of Human Melanoma-Associated Antigens.- Prognostic Factors for Cutaneous Melanoma.- Immunoscintigraphy.- Clinical Pharmacology Studies with Murine Antimelanoma Monoclonal Antibodies.- Radioimaging of Melanoma with 99Tcm-labeled Monoclonal Antibodies.- Radioimaging in Patients with Melanoma.- Radioimmunoscintigraphy of Ocular Melanomas.- Monoclonal Antibodies as Immunomodulating Agents in the Treatment of Melanoma.- Therapy.- Immunotherapy of Melanoma with Monoclonal Antibody-Drug Conjugates.- Immunotoxins to a Human Melanoma-Associated Proteoglycan: Progress Towards the Second Generation.- Preclinical Development of Monoclonal Antibody Conjugates for Site-directed Therapy of Human Malignant Melanoma.- Antimelanoma Antibodies for Therapy.- Therapy of Neuroectodermal Tumors with Monoclonal Antibodies.- Active Specific and Passive Immunotherapy of Melanoma: Clinical and Experimental Investigations with Murine Monoclonal Antibodies.- Immunoregulation and Active Specific Immunization in Cancer Treatment.- Vaccine Immunotherapy of Melanoma.- Surgery and Melanoma.- Surgery of Primary Melanoma.
