Contents

**Preface XI**


Chapter 7 **Analysis of Apoptotic and Autophagic Pathways in Neuroblastoma by Treatment with Copper Compounds 145** Enrique Hernández-Lemus, Anllely Grizett Gutiérrez, Adriana Vázquez-Aguirre, M. Lourdes Palma-Tirado, Lena Ruiz-Azuara and Carmen Mejía

Preface

cure for this disease, in a near future.

Tumors of neuroblastoma group are heterogenous and their molecular/genomic properties are closely related to the prognosis of patients: some children enjoy an excellent clinical course after biopsy/surgery alone, and others suffer from a fatal outcome even after an in‐ tensive treatment. Recent progress has also started disclosing critical significance of crosstalking between neuroblastoma cells and their microenvironment in predicting clinical behaviors of individual cases. In this book, the world distinguished investigators report clin‐ ical and biological characteristics of this disease. It now becomes clear that we should identi‐ fy specific "targets" and incorporate them in our future strategy development for efficiently managing the patients with neuroblastoma. We believe that these "targets" can only be identified by understanding more of the biology of this complex disease. We need to keep up our continuous effort in precise medicine, so that we will be able to reach our goal, i.e.,

**Hiroyuki Shimada, MD, PhD**

Los Angeles, USA

Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Children's Hospital

#### **Section 3 Neuroblastoma, Biology - 2 163**


## Preface

Chapter 7 **Analysis of Apoptotic and Autophagic Pathways in**

Carmen Mejía

**VI** Contents

**Section 3 Neuroblastoma, Biology - 2 163**

Maria Valeria Corrias

Chapter 9 **Neuroblastoma Integrins 189**

**Section 4 Neuroblastoma, Biology - 3 217**

**Neuroblastoma by Treatment with Copper Compounds 145** Enrique Hernández-Lemus, Anllely Grizett Gutiérrez, Adriana Vázquez-Aguirre, M. Lourdes Palma-Tirado, Lena Ruiz-Azuara and

Chapter 8 **Bone Marrow Infiltration in Neuroblastoma: Characteristics of Infiltrating Cells and Role of the Microenvironment 165** Fabio Morandi, Paola Scaruffi, Sara Stigliani, Barbara Carlini and

Shanique A. Young, Ryon Graf and Dwayne G. Stupack

Shweta Joshi, Alok R. Singh, Lisa L.R. Hartman, Muamera Zulcic,

Salvador Meseguer, Juan-Manuel Escamilla and Domingo Barettino

Chapter 10 **Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Neuroblastoma 219**

Chapter 11 **miRNAs as Essential Mediators of the Actions of Retinoic Acid**

Chapter 12 **Copper as a Target for Treatment of Neuroblastoma: Molecular**

Chapter 13 **Clinical Implications of Neuroblastoma Stem Cells 291**

Hyunah Ahn and Donald L. Durden

**in Neuroblastoma Cells 247**

**and Cellular Mechanisms 265** Emanuela Urso and Michele Maffia

Xao X. Tang and Hiroyuki Shimada

Tumors of neuroblastoma group are heterogenous and their molecular/genomic properties are closely related to the prognosis of patients: some children enjoy an excellent clinical course after biopsy/surgery alone, and others suffer from a fatal outcome even after an in‐ tensive treatment. Recent progress has also started disclosing critical significance of crosstalking between neuroblastoma cells and their microenvironment in predicting clinical behaviors of individual cases. In this book, the world distinguished investigators report clin‐ ical and biological characteristics of this disease. It now becomes clear that we should identi‐ fy specific "targets" and incorporate them in our future strategy development for efficiently managing the patients with neuroblastoma. We believe that these "targets" can only be identified by understanding more of the biology of this complex disease. We need to keep up our continuous effort in precise medicine, so that we will be able to reach our goal, i.e., cure for this disease, in a near future.

> **Hiroyuki Shimada, MD, PhD** Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Children's Hospital Los Angeles, USA

**Section 1**

**Neuroblastoma, Clinical**
