This book is about the manipulation of the immune system as a therapeutic approach to gastrointestinal cancer and its clinical applications, exploring therapeutic approaches which might be taken under the broad banner of immunotherapy.Starting by introducing concepts of modern immunology, the clinical applications of immunotherapy are then discussed. The reader will learn about the three broad classes of immune therapeutic agents: cell-based treatment; antibody therapy; cytokine application and the key effector cells and mechanisms which might cause tumour rejection. The reverse side of this equation, the genetic and molecular mechanisms which the tumour can use to escape immune control and regulation, is also discussed. Through reviewing the most up-to-date evidence, this volume provides an overview of the important scientific lessons learned from past failure of immunotherapeutics in the clinic and highlights more positive recent data, coupled to practical guidelines for clinical usage.Written by a team of worldwide experts, this is an indispensable guide for medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation therapists, pharmacists, oncology nurse specialists.

David J Kerr CBE MD DSc FRCP(Glas,Lon,Edin) FRCGP FMedSci is Professor of Cancer Medicine, University of Oxford, Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Weill-Cornell College of Medicine and Honorary Professor, University of Xiamen and 2nd Military University, Shanghai. He has a long standing interest in the biology and treatment of colorectal cancer and has contributed many publications to this field. He is former President of the European Society of Medical Oncology and is currently Editor in Chief of the Journal of Global Oncology.Dr Rebecca Johnson is a junior doctor working at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics and a PhD in DNA double strand break repair. Rebecca was awarded the Irvington Fellowship of the Cancer Research Institute of the United States of America, for work investigating the initiating molecular lesions of common malignancies, this award was tenured at New York University. Following this postdoctoral fellowship, she studied medicine at the University of Birmingham and has recently entered the Core Medical training programme.