The Physics of Cancer

Description

Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of theoretical and experimental contributions to cancer research from different fields of physics, from biomechanics and soft-condensed matter physics to the statistical mechanics of complex systems. Reviewing these contributions and providing a sophisticated overview of the topic, this is the first book devoted to the emerging interdisciplinary field of cancer physics. Systematically integrating approaches from physics and biology, it includes topics such as cancer initiation and progression, metastasis, angiogenesis, cancer stem cells, tumor immunology, cancer cell mechanics and migration. Biological hallmarks of cancer are presented in an intuitive yet comprehensive way, providing graduate-level students and researchers in physics with a thorough introduction to this important subject. The impact of the physical mechanisms of cancer are explained through analytical and computational models, making this an essential reference for cancer biologists interested in cutting-edge quantitative tools and approaches coming from physics.

Caterina A. M. La Porta is Associate Professor of General Pathology at Universita degli Studi di Milano and group leader of the Molecular Oncology Laboratory there. In 2015, she founded the university's Center for Complexity and Biosystems. She has organized several interdisciplinary workshops on the physics of cancer funded by the European Center for Atomic and Molecular Calculations (CECAM) and the European Science Foundation (ESF). Stefano Zapperi is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Universita degli Studi di Milano, where he coordinates the Center for Complexity and Biosystems, and Research Leader at the Institute for Scientific Interchange (ISI) Foundation in Turin, Italy. He is an expert in the statistical mechanics of non-equilibrium complex systems and has worked in fracture, plasticity, friction, magnetism and biophysics. He is the recipient of numerous awards and is currently the chairman of the steering committee of the Conference on Complex Systems.

'The Physics of Cancer explores a growing field and seeks to incorporate discussions pertaining to both the physics and biology of cancer. [The authors] provide readers with a refreshing perspective on cancer research. The volume not only offers a clear description of the fundamental biological concepts of cancer development and treatment, but also introduces readers with a physics background to the developing interdisciplinary field of the physics of cancer. This new field contributes to the understanding of many aspects of cancer studies, which include cancer stem cell phenotypic switching, cell sorting, mechanics of cancer cells, cell migration, cancer metastasis, etc. Due to the advanced nature of the topic, this book will serve as a good introductory level resource for physics researchers and graduate students who are interested in learning about this interdisciplinary field.' H. Zhou, Choice 'La Porta and Zapperi's book isn't just light reading for curious physicists - it can also serve to guide interested researchers into a rich interdisciplinary area.' Guido D'Amico, CERN Courier