Drugs in Cancer Care

The treatment of cancer has undergone dramatic evolutions in the past two decades and the provision of holistic care by a multidisciplinary team of specialists is emerging as the cornerstone of recent improvements in outcome. Accompanying this multidisciplinary approach is the increasing complexity of therapeutic agents and modalities utilized.

Drugs in Cancer Care is a succinct, practical and user-friendly guide to commonly used drugs and non-surgical therapeutic modalities in oncology. This detailed yet concise handbook contains over 90 monographs of cancer care providing the information needed to deliver chemotherapy with safety and precision, including information on mechanism of action, clinical pharmacology, side effect profile, tumour indications, combination treatment and how to respond to the hepato-renal impairment seen in many patients with advanced cancer.

In an easy to use A-Z format this handbook will appeal to a variety of healthcare professional involved in the provision of cancer care and medicine information and will become an essential and well-thumbed item in every oncologist's toolkit.

Rachel Midgley studied Medicine at the University of Birmingham (1988-1994) and gained a first class Honours in an intercalated BSc in Physiology. After completing general medical training as an SHO in Birmingham and completing the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, she was awarded a competitive MRC Personal Fellowship to carry out research towards her PhD in Cancer Studies, while commencing oncology training. Rachel presently works as a Consultant in Medical Oncology and Senior Lecturer in Cancer Studies at the Churchill Hospital in
Oxford and the University of Oxford. She is Director of the Oncology Clinical Trials Office at the University and oversees all the Cancer Trials activity. She has assisted in attracting grants totalling more than £7M and authored over 50 publications in cancer research. Her main focus of research is in the adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer

identifying new agents for use and defining novel prognostic and predictive markers in this setting.

Mark Middleton is Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at the University of Oxford and a Medical Oncologist at the Oxford Cancer and Haematology Centre. His oncology training was at the Christie Hospital and the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester, where his PhD was on Strategies to Enhance the Efficacy of Alkylating Agent Chemotherapy. His clinical interests are in cancer drug development and in the treatment of melanoma.
Current work focuses on the genetic characterisation of patients and their melanoma, the potential for signal transduction inhibitors to modulate DNA repair and on the ability of agents affecting chromatin to potentiate cytotoxic chemotherapy. Mark is a member of the National Cancer Research Institute Melanoma Clinical Studies Group, leading several clinical trials in the UK national portfolio, and having responsibility for their translational research delivery.

David Kerr has made sustained and internationally recognised contribution to cancer care and research in the field of drug development over the past 3 decades. He has published over 300 papers in high profile journals, authored over twenty books, and has been awarded 4 prestigious, international research prizes, including the NHS's first Nye Bevan award for Innovation. His scientific standing has been recognised by election as Fellow of Academy of Medical Sciences in 2000, President of the European society of Medical Oncology (2009-2011) and Founding Fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences (2010). He has also completed the "Kerr Report" (2006), a 20 year plan to reform Scotland's NHS - a root and branch review of every aspect of the NHS and organised the first ever African Cancer Reform convention in London (2007).

Andrew Dickman is a Consultant Pharmacist at the Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Marie Curie Hospice in Liverpool. He is also a project lead at the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute, University of Liverpool. Andrew is the co-author several books, including the Syringe Driver, the Palliative Care Formulary (PCF2) and Chronic Pain, part of the Oxford Pain Management Library. He has also contributed chapters to several books, including the Care of the Dying, Wall and Melzack's Textbook of Pain and Palliative Medicine. His job involves clinical work, research and education and he is currently undertaking a Doctorate in Pharmacy Practice.