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Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), caused by mutational inactivation of the NF1 tumour suppressor gene, is one of the most common dominantly inherited human disorders, affecting 1 in 3000 individuals worldwide. This book presents in concise fashion, but as comprehensively as possible, our current state of knowledge on the molecular genetics, molecular biology and cellular biology of this tumour predisposition syndrome. Written by internationally recognized experts in the field, the 44 chapters that constitute this edited volume provide the reader with a broad overview of the clinical features of the disease, the structure and expression of the NF1 gene, its germ line and somatic mutational spectra and genotype-phenotype relationships, the structure and function of its protein product (neurofibromin), NF1 modifying loci, the molecular pathology of NF1-associated tumours, animal models of the disease, psycho-social aspects and future prospects for therapeutic treatment.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in Western countries. It also provides an archetypal example of how inherited predisposing genetic variants may interact with an environmental influence (smoking) to modulate individual cancer risk. The Molecular Genetics of Lung Cancer describes how the new techniques, methods and approaches of molecular genetics are being used to unravel the complexities of the mechanisms underlying lung tumorigenesis by analysis at the DNA, RNA and protein levels with potentially important implications for tumour classification, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment as well as providing new insights into how lung tumours arise and how they progress to malignancy.