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Molecular biology and genetics of childhood cancers: Approaches to neuroblastoma
Biochimie 71 (1989) 693-695 Socitt6 de Chimie biologique/Elsevier, Paris
693
Book reviews Molecular Biology and Genetics of Childhood Cancers: Approaches to Neuroblastoma, edited by M. SLUYSER,P.A. VOUTEand E. HORWOOD,1988, pp. 130, £24.50. The need for a synthesis of recent advances in molecular biology and genetics of neuroblastoma, given in the light of clinical and therapeutic problems, is obvious to anyone with an interest in oncology, from the pediatric oncologist to the fundamental molecular biologist. Currently, neuroblastoma is one of the most frequent solid tumors in children and much work has been done on its biology, including the identification of growth factors and oncogenes. Neuroblastoma offers a good example to demonstrate the potential role of molecular biology in the ongoing development of cancer therapy in children. Unfortunately, readers will be somewhat disappointed by this heterogeneous book: it is a kind of puzzle with some major pieces, which fails to give an overall picture. In the introduction, the clinical and pathological features of the disease are clearly summarized. However, instead of the details of TNM classification for tumor staging, the reader might prefer to find details of the prognosis of the disease, the recent progress achieved in its treatment, and the real therapeutic problems in the late 1980s. During the past ten years, good and poor responders to therapy have been chin""callv id,~nt,~fied. " . . . . .The. . . . prc, . . .gn.osis . of metastatic neuroblastoma has been greatly improved by high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow transplantation, but late relapses still occur. A better understanding of the molecular events involved in tumor biology will lead to the identification of new prognostic factors and to the development of new therapeutic approaches. This is the challenge for molecular biology in neuroblastoma. The book offers four very good syntheses: (i) an up-to-date review of the various biological markers (catecholamines, ferritin, neuron-specific enolase, gangliosides), their biological and clinical significance and their limits; (if) a chapter dealing with the N-myc oncogene, its potential role in tumorigenesis and in the tumor progression; (iii) a very detailed paper on chromosomal abnormalities, focusing on chromosome 1, which is a litle redundant in the wake of the previous chapter; and (iv) a good review of work on experimental models showing some hypotheses on the natural history of this tumor, especially the role of nerve growth factor. In addition, a long list of monoclonal antibodies used in the determination of neuroblastoma cell phenotypes is given. This is the core of the book, really dealing with molecular biology and genetics.
Finally, in the last part, the authors attempt to illustrate the therapeutic development of this molecular approach. Two personal works are proposed, in contrast to the preceding overview chapters. The paper dealing with meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIGB) is excellent: it gives a very, good synthesis of the use of this radionuclide marker for both diagnosis and treatment, a!ong with preliminary data on in vivo effects. Many details will be valuable for pediatric oncologists. The other paper, covering the depletion of neuroblastoma cells from the bone marrow by elutriation and immunorosetting using monoclonal antibodies, is less convincing and a little too far from the subject. Finally, the last chapter is somewhat surrealistic in terms of molecular biology. It gives all details of surgical procedures, describing anatomical difficulties encountered by surgeons from the inferior mesenteric artery up to intradural extension of the tumor: readers may wonder where the genetic and molecular matter is. In conclusion, this book does not completely achieve its aim because of the lack of a cohesive approach, ttowever, some interesting information will be found, giving a good, up-to-date idea of achievements in molecular biology and genetic~ in neuroblastoma, a field where science is running at high speed. G. Vassal
Biochemical Thermodynamics, Vol. 1, edited by M.N. Jones, Elsevier Science Publishers, 1988, pp. 404 US $147.25, Dfl. 280. Biochemical Thermodynamics is a collective book dealing with the quantitative assessment of thermodynamic data relevant to molecular biology. Ideally, according to the editor, M.N. Jones, each review should order and analyze the expanding literature and stress those areas where a better understanding of thermodynamic data in molecular terms is now available. For the past 40 years, it has been extremely difficult (if oot impossible) to rationalize the thermodynamic ploperties of biological components in molecular terms (water being the most deceptive example). In general the field looks quite unattractive to most biophysicists and slow but steady progress is not easily appreciated. Furthermore, in certain cases, thermodynamic data place strong constraints ~,, molecular models which could look attractive but
693
Book reviews Molecular Biology and Genetics of Childhood Cancers: Approaches to Neuroblastoma, edited by M. SLUYSER,P.A. VOUTEand E. HORWOOD,1988, pp. 130, £24.50. The need for a synthesis of recent advances in molecular biology and genetics of neuroblastoma, given in the light of clinical and therapeutic problems, is obvious to anyone with an interest in oncology, from the pediatric oncologist to the fundamental molecular biologist. Currently, neuroblastoma is one of the most frequent solid tumors in children and much work has been done on its biology, including the identification of growth factors and oncogenes. Neuroblastoma offers a good example to demonstrate the potential role of molecular biology in the ongoing development of cancer therapy in children. Unfortunately, readers will be somewhat disappointed by this heterogeneous book: it is a kind of puzzle with some major pieces, which fails to give an overall picture. In the introduction, the clinical and pathological features of the disease are clearly summarized. However, instead of the details of TNM classification for tumor staging, the reader might prefer to find details of the prognosis of the disease, the recent progress achieved in its treatment, and the real therapeutic problems in the late 1980s. During the past ten years, good and poor responders to therapy have been chin""callv id,~nt,~fied. " . . . . .The. . . . prc, . . .gn.osis . of metastatic neuroblastoma has been greatly improved by high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow transplantation, but late relapses still occur. A better understanding of the molecular events involved in tumor biology will lead to the identification of new prognostic factors and to the development of new therapeutic approaches. This is the challenge for molecular biology in neuroblastoma. The book offers four very good syntheses: (i) an up-to-date review of the various biological markers (catecholamines, ferritin, neuron-specific enolase, gangliosides), their biological and clinical significance and their limits; (if) a chapter dealing with the N-myc oncogene, its potential role in tumorigenesis and in the tumor progression; (iii) a very detailed paper on chromosomal abnormalities, focusing on chromosome 1, which is a litle redundant in the wake of the previous chapter; and (iv) a good review of work on experimental models showing some hypotheses on the natural history of this tumor, especially the role of nerve growth factor. In addition, a long list of monoclonal antibodies used in the determination of neuroblastoma cell phenotypes is given. This is the core of the book, really dealing with molecular biology and genetics.
Finally, in the last part, the authors attempt to illustrate the therapeutic development of this molecular approach. Two personal works are proposed, in contrast to the preceding overview chapters. The paper dealing with meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIGB) is excellent: it gives a very, good synthesis of the use of this radionuclide marker for both diagnosis and treatment, a!ong with preliminary data on in vivo effects. Many details will be valuable for pediatric oncologists. The other paper, covering the depletion of neuroblastoma cells from the bone marrow by elutriation and immunorosetting using monoclonal antibodies, is less convincing and a little too far from the subject. Finally, the last chapter is somewhat surrealistic in terms of molecular biology. It gives all details of surgical procedures, describing anatomical difficulties encountered by surgeons from the inferior mesenteric artery up to intradural extension of the tumor: readers may wonder where the genetic and molecular matter is. In conclusion, this book does not completely achieve its aim because of the lack of a cohesive approach, ttowever, some interesting information will be found, giving a good, up-to-date idea of achievements in molecular biology and genetic~ in neuroblastoma, a field where science is running at high speed. G. Vassal
Biochemical Thermodynamics, Vol. 1, edited by M.N. Jones, Elsevier Science Publishers, 1988, pp. 404 US $147.25, Dfl. 280. Biochemical Thermodynamics is a collective book dealing with the quantitative assessment of thermodynamic data relevant to molecular biology. Ideally, according to the editor, M.N. Jones, each review should order and analyze the expanding literature and stress those areas where a better understanding of thermodynamic data in molecular terms is now available. For the past 40 years, it has been extremely difficult (if oot impossible) to rationalize the thermodynamic ploperties of biological components in molecular terms (water being the most deceptive example). In general the field looks quite unattractive to most biophysicists and slow but steady progress is not easily appreciated. Furthermore, in certain cases, thermodynamic data place strong constraints ~,, molecular models which could look attractive but