A critical perspective in cancer research (Review)

Over the past few decades, there has been a tremendous increase in cancer b iology data and treatment. Cancer research has opened exciting new areas of cellular and molecular biology. Month by month, new genes which regulate t he carcinogenesis process are being discovered. The result is an incredible knowledge of cancer: what makes a cancer cell a cancer cell, what cancer c ells need to develop, and how cancer cells behave, interact, overgrow and d ie. In parallel, gene manipulation within cells lets us foresee future poss ibilities of new cancer treatments. On the other hand, this combination of increased knowledge and powerful new techniques has provided no effective c ancer therapy. As it has been quoted during the 'Update and Intensive Revie w of Internal Medicine' meeting held in New York, August 1999: '...The succ ess in treating Hodgkin's disease means that patients now live enough to de velop complications related to the treatment'. Thus, after dedicated decade s of excellent research, cancer remains a significant human, clinical, and economical burden. The purpose of this review is 2-fold. First, to analyze areas of basic cancer research that still await adequate scientific explana tions. Second, to stress that, for its continuing advancement, cancer resea rch is dependent upon close relationships among many disciplines; an intima te alignment of oncologists with biochemists, geneticists, immunologists, e xperimental pathologists, and pharmacologists is needed. In light of the gr eat success registered at the basic science level but lack of effective the rapies, it would be wise to establish human and economical resources addres sed to a multidisciplinary collaborative effort in cancer research.