Volume 68 of Advances in Cancer Research continues the tradition of publishing up-to-date reviews and "hot" topics in cancer research. This volume begins with a "Foundations in Cancer Research" article by Harald zur Hausen that reviews his years of research on the idea that cancer can be triggered by infection. The structure and function of the cytokine receptor superfamily and its association with leukemias are discussed in depth by James Ihle. Marcia Hall and Gordon Peters review the evidence indicating that genetic abnormalities hinder the function of certain cyclins and their inhibitors. The most widely studied protooncogene, c-myc, is reviewed by Marie Henriksson and Bernhard Lüscher; the chapter focuses on the function of c-myc as a transcription factor rather than on the effects of gene translocation and activation on malignancies. Ham Werner and Derek LeRoith present data on the role that insulin-like growth factors play on cell growth and regulation. In the final chapter, Olli-P. Kallioniemi and Tapio Visakorpi investigate the field of prostate cancer and, more importantly, the biological reason and natural history behind the growth of this cancer.
