Inflammation in Cancer

Past cancer research has been focused primarily on oncogenic events in tumor cells. Despite therapeutic and diagnostic progress in oncology, the prognosis remains poor. This has drawn attention to the surrounding stroma that the tumor cells need for survival, growth, proliferation and metastasis. This tumor micro-environment is largely orchestrated by inflammatory cells, an indispensable participant in the neoplastic process, fostering proliferation, survival and migration of the tumor cells. Thus, inflammation is a critical mediator of cancer and the importance of tumor stroma in cancer growth, invasion and metastasis is a fascinating and fundamental area of investigation. However, the success of therapies targeting the tumor stroma depends on identification and thorough examination of key regulators hosted in micro-environment. This book is focused mainly on the role of inflammation in cancer.