Melanoma Techniques and Protocols: Molecular Diagnosis, Treatment, and Monitoring

With the completion of the Human Genome Project, it is now possible to decipher the biochemical cascade of events that lead to melanoma, a virulent form of cancer that is currently at epidemic proportions worldwide. In Melanoma Techniques and Protocols: Molecular Diagnosis, Treatment, and Monitoring, a broadly diverse group of researchers and clinicians offer not only reviews of the most important recent advances in melanoma oncology, tumor immunology, and pathology, but also state-of-the-art molecular techniques for probing melanoma's basic biology. These readily reproducible methods can be used to develop diagnostic approaches, therapeutics, and status monitoring of patients suffering both early- and late-stage melanoma. With emphasis on the experimental details critical to success, each method is described in step-by-step fashion by hands-on masters, often those who have developed them in their own laboratories. Notes about potential pitfalls and troubleshooting tips on how to adapt procedures to new experimental systems are also provided. Comprehensive and highly instructive, Melanoma Techniques and Protocols: Molecular Diagnosis, Treatment, and Monitoring offers clinicians and basic scientists concerned with malignant melanoma both rich new clinical perspectives and the wide ranging experimental protocols essential for achieving more rapid breakthroughs in this near-epidemic disease.