Pancreatic Cancer: Methods and Protocols: 103 (Methods in Molecular Medicine)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Annually approximately 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease and most will die from it within five years. P- creatic ductal adenocarcinoma is unique because of its late onset in age, high mortality, small tumor samples infiltrated with normal cells, and a lack of both early detection and effective therapies. Some of these characteristics have made studying this disease a challenge. Pancreatic cancer develops as a result of the accumulation of genetic alterations in cancer-causing genes, such as the oncogenes and the tumor-s- pressor genes. In the last decade, major progress has been made in identifying important oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes for the disease. In Panc- atic Cancer: Methods and Protocols, we review the classical techniques that have contributed to the advances in pancreatic research and introduce new strategies that we hope will add to future breakthroughs in the field of cancer biology. Pancreatic Cancer: Methods and Protocols provides a broad range of protocols for molecular, cellular, pathological, and statistical analyses of s- radic and familial pancreatic cancer. It covers topics from in vitro cell c- tures to in vivo mouse models, DNA to protein manipulation, and mutation analyses to treatment development. We believe that our book will prove an invaluable source of proven protocols for those who are interested in either basic or translational research in pancreatic cancer.

In the last decade, major progress has been made in identifying the critical oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes that can cause pancreatic cancer. In Pancreatic Cancer: Methods and Protocols, leading clinicians and scientists from prestigious research institutes and cancer centers present in readily reproducible format the classical techniques that have contributed to these advances in pancreatic research and introduce new strategies that should produce future breakthroughs across the field of cancer biology. The authors provide a broad range of methods for the molecular, biochemical, pathological, and statistical analyses of both sporadic and familial pancreatic cancers, methods that can be applied not only to basic, but also to translational pancreatic research. Topics covered include in vitro cell cultures, in vivo mouse models, protein studies, mutation analysis, and treatment development. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Medicine™ series format, each one offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Comprehensive and highly practical, Pancreatic Cancer: Methods and Protocols offers those interested in either basic or translational research an ambitious collection of essential yet novel methods for pancreatic cancer research, methods that can also readily be applied broadly throughout cancer research.