From bench to clinical trials the EORTC experience in biology-based clinical cancer research

For over 50 years the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) has delivered major advances in cancer clinical research and cancer therapeutics. The introduction of molecularly targeted agents has led to significant improvements in outcome for patients with specific tumor types; however conventional chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment for the majority of patients. Due to increasing knowledge about the diversity of molecular pathways driving malignant progression, strategies to integrate biology into clinical research and development are continuously evolving. The challenges and the experience of the EORTC regarding how translational research is to be an indispensable component of the clinical research environment, which aims to deliver more sophisticated treatment approaches will be discussed in this perspective article.