Kleihues, Paul

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BOOK REVIEWErwin G. Van Meir (ed): CNS cancer: Models, markers,prognostic factors, targets, and therapeutic approachesHumana Press, 2009, 1284 pages, US$ 169.00, ISBN 978-1-60327-552-1Paul KleihuesPublished online: 11 December 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2009Few areas in translational medicine have developed asdynamically as research into the biology and treatment oftumours of the nervous system. However, the outcome ofthese efforts in terms of increased survival rates andreduced mortality is still very moderate. Chemotherapywith the simple alkylating agent, temozolomide, combinedwith concurrent radiotherapy is still the most promisingapproach in the treatment of glioblastomas while theintroduction of targeted therapy has had very limited suc-cess. This is no reason to resign. In contrast, our effortsshould be increased, and for anybody working in this fieldor planning to enter this research area, CNS Cancer is avery good choice.When reviewing a book, I usually ask three questions: Isit comprehensive, timely and useful? CNS Cancer is notcomprehensive insofar as it basically deals with malignantgliomas. Other CNS neoplasms, in particular those mani-festing in children, are either not (ependymomas) orinsufficiently (medulloblastoma) dealt with.The book starts with a section on animal models ofcentral nervous system tumours. There is detailed infor-mation on the generation of brain tumours in geneticallymodified mice, but also on animal models suitable forpreclinical therapeutic studies. While there are severalexcellent mouse models of medulloblastoma, unfortunatelynone is presented in detail. There is an informative articleon the genetic basis of brain tumour induction by N-nitrosocompounds in rodents, but a contribution specificallydealing with neural progenitor cells would have beenwelcome. Altogether, this section of the book contains veryuseful information on a variety of models, but each of themdeals with a specific system, and an overview that wouldassist the non-initiated reader would have been quiteuseful.The second part of the book deals with prognostic fac-tors and biomarkers, sub-divided in 15 contributions thatcover all important aspects, with an emphasis on those witha significant clinical impact. Most contributions focus onimbalances in signalling pathways caused by genetic andepigenetic alterations. However, there are also contribu-tions on proteomics, the role of hypoxia and necrosis,microRNAs and brain tumour stem cell markers. Erwin. G.Van Meir, editor of the book, contributes a very informa-tive review of the role of TP53 alterations in gliomas,including recent efforts to re-establish the transcriptionalactivity of mutated TP53 by small molecules. Altogether,this is an excellent section. It should also be mentioned thatdespite the time required for editing and publication, mostof the contributions are very timely, with referencesreaching into 2008.The last part of the book concentrates on therapeutictargets, including angiogenesis and apoptosis, RAS andSTAT3 signalling, as well as antibody-mediated immuno-therapy. Particularly interesting are the contributions onbrain cancer stem cells as therapeutic targets and theapproach of driving tumour stem cells into differentiation.Gene therapy using herpes simplex virus 1 and adenovi-ruses is described in sufficient detail, which is commend-able, since this line of research is no longer funded as muchas it deserves. Conspicuously absent are contributions onnovel imaging techniques that may predict response totherapy.Altogether, this book is an excellent source for thoseengaged in translational brain tumour research. I am notaware of any other publication that could match CNSP. Kleihues (&)Department of Pathology, University Hospital,8091 Zurich, Switzerlande-mail: paul.kleihues@usz.ch123J Neurooncol (2010) 98:435–436DOI 10.1007/s11060-009-0088-xCancer for this specific purpose. The editor has been ableto assemble a group of excellent authors with internationalstanding, and this is reflected by the quality of workthroughout the book. Brain Cancer contains a wealth ofinformation, is timely and very useful.436 J Neurooncol (2010) 98:435–436123

Erwin G. Van Meir (ed): CNS cancer: Models, markers, prognostic factors, targets, and therapeutic approaches: Humana Press, 2009, 1284 pages, US$ 169.00, ISBN 978-1-60327-552-1

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Erwin G. Van Meir (ed): CNS cancer: Models, markers, prognostic factors, targets, and therapeutic approaches: Humana Press, 2009, 1284 pages, US$ 169.00, ISBN 978-1-60327-552-1

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