Book Review

From Melanocytes to Melanoma: The Progression to Malignancy

N Engl J Med 2007; 356:1189March 15, 2007

Article

From Melanocytes to Melanoma: The Progression to Malignancy
Edited by Vincent J. Hearing and Stanley P.L. Leong. 678 pp., illustrated. Totowa, NJ, Humana Press, 2006. $195. ISBN: 978-1-58829-459-3

This year will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Dr. Wallace H. Clark, Jr. Clark made immense contributions to the study of melanoma and proposed a multifactorial process of tumor progression in the melanocytic lineage, from the benign nevus to melanoma. He would be most impressed with the tremendous progress in our understanding of the biology of melanoma over the past decade. These advances are superbly covered in this new book, edited by Vincent Hearing and Stanley Leong, both experts in the field of melanocyte and melanoma biology. They have assembled a group of outstanding contributors who are leaders in their respective fields. This book, the first of its kind on melanoma, details the current state of our knowledge of the biochemical and molecular events that occur in melanocytes and melanoma cells, the stepwise progression of melanocytes to malignant melanoma, and, ultimately, the metastasis of the tumor.

The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 addresses the basic biology of melanocytes and the molecular mechanisms involved in the development, migration, and differentiation of melanoblasts into melanocytes. Part 2 elucidates the processes involved in the transformation of melanocytes to malignant melanoma, and part 3 focuses on the mechanisms involved in the further progression of primary melanomas to invasive and metastatic melanomas. The book has up-to-date information on altered signal transduction pathways in melanoma, the role of cell-surface receptors in the development of melanoma, genes involved in familial melanoma, the genetic basis of melanoma and common benign pigmented lesions, optimal imaging analysis of atypical nevi and melanoma, proteomic analysis of melanoma cell lines, and the role of apoptosis in melanoma, with implications for treatment.

From Melanocytes to Melanoma should be viewed as an important resource for understanding the broad field of melanocyte and melanoma biology. Newcomers to the field, lured by the recent discoveries in melanoma-associated oncogenes, including BRAF, MITF, and c-kit, will find this book extremely useful. My only criticism of the book concerns that which is missing — namely, a discussion of the potential translation of the biology of melanocytes and melanoma into new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Particularly useful would be further discussion of new molecularly targeted therapies for patients with melanoma.

This book captures the tremendous progress made in the field and, more important, will help to propel the field to new successes. It is a valuable resource for biologists and basic scientists interested in the biology of pigment cells as well as for pathologists, dermatologists, surgeons, and medical oncologists interested in the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.

Lynn M. Schuchter, M.D.
Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
lynn.schuchter@uphs.upenn.edu