Publisher's Synopsis
Recent advances in cellular and molecular biology have greatly expanded the potential of using biological markers in cancer edipdemiology, to measure internal exposure, detect biological changes or the effects of early disease, and assess individual susceptibility to disease. These developments foster the incorporation of biological thinking into the design of studies and testing of hypotheses, and suggest new perspectives for elucidating mechanisms of human pathogenesis at the cellular and molecular level. This publication originates from an international workshop which addressed a range of methodological issues underlying the use of biological markers of exposure, biological effect and individual susceptibility in cancer epidemiology. It includes a report of the workshop, with a general discussion and recommendations on epidemiological study design, validation and development of biological markers and application of markers to cancer epidemiology. A series of peer-reviewed authored contributions provide a more personal view on the most important aspects by key researchers.
