Blood Perfusion and Microenvironment of Human Tumors

This is a summary of knowledge on blood perfusion and the microenvironment of human tumours, designed to enable the reader to gain a deeper insight into the physiological components of malignant tumours. Among a range of topics, consideration is given to circulatory parameters, including blood and nutrient supply, transvascular and interstitial transport, and oxygenation, as well as to bioenergetic status and the influence of pH on the responsiveness of malignant tumours to nonsurgical treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The clinician may find it useful to read about the various invasive and non-invasive methods (including MR and PET) that allow the tumour physiology and microenvironment of an individual patient to be characterized.