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Molecular Diagnostics
Cancer and Society
representatives of themes. For example, the cranky neighbour counterbalances Cathy’s spirited quest for purpose by acting like the walking dead—physically healthy but emotionally vacant since her husband died. Cathy’s husband and son are very predictable as the lovable loser
and irreverent teenager. Her brother seems thrown in to add quirkiness, while the dermatologist delivers more sex appeal than clinical acumen. If we get more of the same over the next few weeks, the joke will wear thin: the humour will dissipate as the audience tires of the formulaic
reactions to Cathy’s inexplicable lifechange. But if the motives behind Cathy’s choice are unveiled, and the characters add dimensions, we could be in for some searching and challenging mainstream viewing.
Jill Jouret
Book Molecular Diagnostics
Molecular diagnostics: the key driver in personalized cancer medicine Edited by Jan T Jorgensen and Henrik Winther. Pan Stanford Publishing, 2010. Pp 300, £121.95. ISBN 978-9814241441
926
The promise of targeted drugs and individualised treatments has reshaped oncology. One of the lynchpins of individualised medicine is molecular pathology. The use of high-throughput technologies and the identification of therapeutic targets has led to the development of many molecular tests, which have been shown to complement information provided by conventional pathology methods. Despite progress in the discovery of novel targets and potential markers, the implementation of tests to identify them in clinical and pathology practice has been fraught with difficulties. Molecular Diagnostics brings together experts from various areas of molecular diagnostics. The critical issues related to biomarker discovery, validation, and implementation are described in sufficient detail for readers of different backgrounds to have a good idea of the entire field. Furthermore, the list of references at the end of each chapter provides a starting point for further reading. This book is both succinct and comprehensive enough to be suitable for medical professionals with an interest in translational oncology, and scientists with an interest in molecular pathology and biomarkers. The book covers many aspects of molecular diagnostics, ranging from immunohistochemistry to microarrays and in-situ hybridisation
to gene sequencing; technical jargon is avoided altogether, and somewhat arcane concepts are effectively explained in simple diagrams and tables. A balanced review of the pros and cons of each diagnostic approach, and a description of the pitfalls of different methods, are provided. The attention devoted to bioinformatics and biostatistics, and to the preanalytical issues related to the molecular analyses of cancer samples (in particular for immunohistochemical analysis), a topic often ignored in scholarly articles that address the implementation of molecular methods in clinical practice, should be commended. Not only are techniques discussed, but aspects of experimental design, validation, and the use of biomarkers are also covered. The chapters on predictive biomarkers and translational cancer medicine, drug and pharmacodiagnostic codevelopment, personalising treatment selection for breast cancer, and pharmacodiagnostics and personalised medicine in cancer provide an upto-date review of the field and the challenges that lie ahead. The only potential criticisms for such an excellent book include the arguably disproportionate attention devoted to the discussion of some topics. For example, the predictive nature of topoisomeraseIIα expression and TOP2A gene amplification were covered in
multiple chapters. The MammaPrint assay (Agendia, Netherlands) is discussed at length, however other expression profiling tests currently used in clinical management (eg, OncotypeDx [Genomic Health, Redwood City, CA, USA]) have not received the same attention. Importantly, since the field of DNAbased molecular diagnostics is developing at an unprecedented pace, the lack of a chapter devoted to massively parallel sequencing and its derivative technologies somewhat reduces the usefulness of this book, especially for those interested in applying these new sequencing technologies to the identification and validation of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. A second edition will most certainly require more extensive discussions on this topic. Moreover, the index could have been more comprehensive and user friendly. Despite these minor issues, this book provides a quick and effective reference for molecular pathologists and oncologists, and an excellent introduction to the field of molecular diagnostics for newcomers, in particular those interested in breast cancer translational research; it will most certainly prove relevant to oncologists, pathologists, and scientists involved in translational research.
Jorge Reis-Filho
www.thelancet.com/oncology Vol 11 October 2010
representatives of themes. For example, the cranky neighbour counterbalances Cathy’s spirited quest for purpose by acting like the walking dead—physically healthy but emotionally vacant since her husband died. Cathy’s husband and son are very predictable as the lovable loser
and irreverent teenager. Her brother seems thrown in to add quirkiness, while the dermatologist delivers more sex appeal than clinical acumen. If we get more of the same over the next few weeks, the joke will wear thin: the humour will dissipate as the audience tires of the formulaic
reactions to Cathy’s inexplicable lifechange. But if the motives behind Cathy’s choice are unveiled, and the characters add dimensions, we could be in for some searching and challenging mainstream viewing.
Jill Jouret
Book Molecular Diagnostics
Molecular diagnostics: the key driver in personalized cancer medicine Edited by Jan T Jorgensen and Henrik Winther. Pan Stanford Publishing, 2010. Pp 300, £121.95. ISBN 978-9814241441
926
The promise of targeted drugs and individualised treatments has reshaped oncology. One of the lynchpins of individualised medicine is molecular pathology. The use of high-throughput technologies and the identification of therapeutic targets has led to the development of many molecular tests, which have been shown to complement information provided by conventional pathology methods. Despite progress in the discovery of novel targets and potential markers, the implementation of tests to identify them in clinical and pathology practice has been fraught with difficulties. Molecular Diagnostics brings together experts from various areas of molecular diagnostics. The critical issues related to biomarker discovery, validation, and implementation are described in sufficient detail for readers of different backgrounds to have a good idea of the entire field. Furthermore, the list of references at the end of each chapter provides a starting point for further reading. This book is both succinct and comprehensive enough to be suitable for medical professionals with an interest in translational oncology, and scientists with an interest in molecular pathology and biomarkers. The book covers many aspects of molecular diagnostics, ranging from immunohistochemistry to microarrays and in-situ hybridisation
to gene sequencing; technical jargon is avoided altogether, and somewhat arcane concepts are effectively explained in simple diagrams and tables. A balanced review of the pros and cons of each diagnostic approach, and a description of the pitfalls of different methods, are provided. The attention devoted to bioinformatics and biostatistics, and to the preanalytical issues related to the molecular analyses of cancer samples (in particular for immunohistochemical analysis), a topic often ignored in scholarly articles that address the implementation of molecular methods in clinical practice, should be commended. Not only are techniques discussed, but aspects of experimental design, validation, and the use of biomarkers are also covered. The chapters on predictive biomarkers and translational cancer medicine, drug and pharmacodiagnostic codevelopment, personalising treatment selection for breast cancer, and pharmacodiagnostics and personalised medicine in cancer provide an upto-date review of the field and the challenges that lie ahead. The only potential criticisms for such an excellent book include the arguably disproportionate attention devoted to the discussion of some topics. For example, the predictive nature of topoisomeraseIIα expression and TOP2A gene amplification were covered in
multiple chapters. The MammaPrint assay (Agendia, Netherlands) is discussed at length, however other expression profiling tests currently used in clinical management (eg, OncotypeDx [Genomic Health, Redwood City, CA, USA]) have not received the same attention. Importantly, since the field of DNAbased molecular diagnostics is developing at an unprecedented pace, the lack of a chapter devoted to massively parallel sequencing and its derivative technologies somewhat reduces the usefulness of this book, especially for those interested in applying these new sequencing technologies to the identification and validation of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. A second edition will most certainly require more extensive discussions on this topic. Moreover, the index could have been more comprehensive and user friendly. Despite these minor issues, this book provides a quick and effective reference for molecular pathologists and oncologists, and an excellent introduction to the field of molecular diagnostics for newcomers, in particular those interested in breast cancer translational research; it will most certainly prove relevant to oncologists, pathologists, and scientists involved in translational research.
Jorge Reis-Filho
www.thelancet.com/oncology Vol 11 October 2010