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The Biology of Cancer

Article  in  The Yale journal of biology and medicine · June 2015

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BOOK REVIEWS
YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 88 (2015), pp.199-202.
Gene Control. Second Edition. By David S. Latchman.
New York: Garland Science; 2015. US $111.50 (Pa-
perback). 500 p. ISBN: 978-0815345039.
Gene Control, second edition, is a concise book that
focuses on gene expression and regulation in eukaryotes.
Synonymous with the first edition, the chapters build on
themselves, culminating in a discussion correlating gene
control in regard to human health and disease. The au-
thor uses illustrations where appropriate, focusing on
simplistic figures that correlate DNA, RNA, and regula-
tory proteins. This helps the reader avoid the distraction
of the minutiae of gene control and provides important
concepts to maintain the big picture perspective. Since
the first edition in 2010, one change in this edition is the
expansion of chapters covering chromatin structure and
its role with additional sections relating the epigenome
with cell types, cancer, and disease. Throughout the book,
each chapter is concluded with summaries of key con-
cepts and suggestions for further reading.
Overall, this book is well organized and provides the
reader with a complete and concise gene control refer-
ence. This book is intended for an upper-level under-
graduate or beginning graduate student well-grounded in
molecular biology. Additionally, a new or seasoned prin-
cipal investigator interested in beginning or conducting
research in this field would find this text very useful. The
majority of illustrations are not meant to inspire the
reader to further exploration in this field; however, the
powerful, yet simplistic figures provide an important tool
for gaining a deeper understanding for the avid student or
scholar. The author effectively provides important refer-
ences to concepts discussed in previous chapters and spe-
cific examples in subsequent chapters. This allows the
advanced student or reader to begin with the later chap-
ters and reference back when necessary to understand the
mechanism(s) in thorough detail if desired. Therefore,
the instructor or reader may find it advantageous through-
out a course or independent study to dive first into chap-
ters 10, 11, and 12, which discuss gene control in regard
to cell type, cancer, and human disease, respectively.
Eric M. Johnson Chavarria, PhD
Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Department
Yale University
Genome Stability: DNA Repair and Recombination.
By James E. Haber. Abingdon, UK: Garland Science;
2014. US $140 (Paperback). 396 p. ISBN: 978-
0815344858.
In the first edition of Genome Stability: DNA Repair
and Recombination, the author provides a detailed sum-
mary of the mechanisms behind DNA repair, facilitating
genome maintenance, and cancer suppression. Although
Copyright © 2015
a novel and relevant text, the author circuitously navi-
gates the reader through the world of DNA repair and re-
combination, occasionally making it difficult to follow
the progression from one chapter to the next. That being
said, this text is a very useful tool for understanding the
complexity and importance of the process of recombina-
tion. Beginning with the stalled replication fork, the au-
thor addresses sources of DNA damage and the repair of
double-strand breaks. Although the majority of this text
discusses the importance and function of homologous re-
combination, non-homologous end-joining is briefly pre-
sented in Chapter 15. In addition to repair, there is also
significant analysis of the role of recombination as it per-
tains to meiosis. Finally, the author makes interesting
connections to therapeutic uses for homologous recom-
bination, devoting an entire chapter to the understanding
of gene targeting.
Genome Stability: DNA Repair and Recombination
is targeted for a more advanced audience as it assumes a
basic understanding of DNA replication and meiosis.
Senior undergraduate students or graduate students
would benefit from this text to improve their molecular
understanding of recombination. It would also be a use-
ful reference tool for research scientists and clinicians
working in this field. This text is well written and pro-
vides useful schematics to help the reader get a better un-
derstanding of the molecular processes being described.
Due to the advanced nature of this book, the text is a bit
dense at times; however, this is often clarified by corre-
sponding figures. Each chapter begins with a short intro-
ductory paragraph and concludes with a summary. At the
end of each chapter, a list of suggested additional reading
is provided for the reader to further his or her under-
standing of the subject being described. Overall, this text
is a comprehensive exploration of the mechanisms in-
volved in maintaining genome stability and is a useful
resource for students and researchers alike.
Jennifer Czochor
Department of Genetics
Yale University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
The Biology of Cancer. 2nd edition. By Robert A.
Weinberg. New York: Garland Science; 2014. US
$112 (Paperback). 876 p. ISBN: 978-0815342205.
The field of cancer biology is a dynamic and rapidly
expanding one, with new and exciting discoveries being
made each day. Therefore, there is a strong need for a
comprehensive guide that discusses not only the basics of
cancer biology but also brings to the forefront new de-
velopments in the field. What sets the second edition of
this popular textbook apart from its predecessor is the
current information it provides about all areas of the field
199
 200 Book reviews
of cancer biology, including molecular biology, tumor im-
munology and cancer cell biology, and cell signaling.
While it aims to provide broad, basic information on a va-
riety of topics in cancer biology, this textbook emphasizes
the molecular aspects of cancer.
The chapters are arranged in a good chronological se-
quence, which makes the book very easy to read and un-
derstand. The author, Robert A. Weinberg, a stalwart in
the field of cancer biology, uses a clear, lucid writing style
as well as excellent illustrations. The latter engage the
reader and make it easy to understand concepts. In each
chapter, once a concept is introduced, thought-provoking
questions are posed to enable the reader to thoroughly un-
derstand the ideas put forth. More importantly, several ex-
amples are provided to illustrate the clinical application
of each concept. Each chapter uses sidebars to describe
important ideas and methodologies. The easy accessibility
of this information is advantageous, as the reader does not
have to sift through additional material. Furthermore, the
illustrations and videos on the DVD are a great asset to
visual learners.
This textbook would appeal to a diverse group of
readers, including undergraduates, medical and graduate
students, and researchers. In addition to being fairly de-
tailed on basic concepts, the book is not overloaded with
jargon. This makes it possible for even a layperson with
little or no scientific background to grasp and understand
the concepts. Overall, this book is an outstanding compi-
lation of all of the important topics of cancer biology and
a valuable asset to both the researcher and student.
Miriam-Rose Menezes, PhD
Department of Therapeutic Radiology
Yale University
Oral Cancer Surgery: A Visual Guide. By Marco
Kesting. New York: Thieme Publishing Group; 2014.
US $113.27 (Hardcover). 120 p. ISBN: 978-3131994011.
This textbook provides a frame a reference for tech-
niques in the surgical management of oral cancer for as-
piring surgeons and residents. The book is divided into
four main sections: Airway Management, Lymph Node
Management, Ablative Tumor Surgery, and Reconstruc-
tive Surgery. The bulk of this resource is devoted to large
colored photographs (three to four covering two-page
spreads) that clearly depict the steps in key operations re-
lated to oral cancer. Each section contains schematics and
authentic photographs of procedures such as tracheotomy,
neck dissections (Levels I-V), lip-split mandibulotomy,
and deltopectoral flap. In lieu of long narratives describ-
ing surgical methods, accompanying text is provided in
succinct figure legends. In these legends, the author high-
lights key structures for consideration, such as the spinal
accessory nerve and the sternocleidomastoid muscle. In
case the reader needs more information, the author pro-
vides references at the close of each unit to guide inter-
ested readers to resources with more extended text.
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An interesting component of this text that may not be
found in other surgical resources is that the author has in-
cluded notes on the history of each method. Each unit
opens with a timeline outlining the evolution of each pro-
cedure, some dating back to several thousand years B.C.E.
These sections are more anecdotal than formal, yet contain
trivia about pioneering surgeons than may add interest for
surgical students learning about these procedures.
In all, this resource is recommended for new surgeons
or residents in need of a step-by-step guide for surgery
techniques indicated for patients with oral cancer. In order
to benefit from this resource, students should have a solid
knowledge of anatomical terms and the physiology of the
head and neck, as this understanding is presupposed
throughout the text. An e-book option is available as well,
which may serve as a good refresher before heading into
the operating room.
Allison Mesa
Department of Communication Disorders
Southern Connecticut State University
Molecular Biology of the Cell, Sixth Edition. By
Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis,
David Morgan, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, and Peter
Walter. New York: Garland Science; 2014. US $160.54
(Hardcover). 1342 p. ISBN: 978-0815344322.
Molecular Biology of the Cell, Sixth Edition —
The Problems Book. By John Wilson and Tim Hunt.
New York: Garland Science; 2014. US $46.55 (Pa-
perback). 966 p. ISBN: 978-0815344537.
The daunting challenge that Molecular Biology of the
Cell, Sixth Edition, aims to conquer is to distill the enor-
mous breadth of cell biology into a form that is digestible
by students. The result is a 24-chapter tome whose sub-
ject matter begins with the universal features of cells and
ends with topics that include development, cell differenti-
ation, and collective cell behaviors in the immune re-
sponse. Each chapter follows a familiar structure with
topics grouped by systems. Numerous color figures ac-
company each sub-section. Each chapter concludes with a
brief summary section, problems, and an extensive list of
references that include primary research papers. One fea-
ture of the sixth edition is a concluding section entitled
“What We Don’t Know,” which consists of a series of
open-ended questions designed to present “big picture”
challenges in future research. Materials from chapters pre-
viously contained in a CD-ROM have been incorporated
into the text. There is also a Problems Book to supplement
the first 20 chapters. The Problems Book contains more
than 1,800 problems and their solutions (along with solu-
tions to problems in the sixth edition text), color illustra-
tions, and MCAT-style questions targeting students
interested in medicine.
The textbook and problem sets cover many basic top-
ics in cell biology that are related to one or more aspects