Oncology

The last few years have seen what may be looked back on as the dawn of a new era in cancer therapy. Biological agents (those which target specific molecular abnormalities in cancer cells) as opposed to the more conventional chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy, have at last begun to show the first signs of benefits in randomized clinical trials. So far the size of the benefit has, on the whole, been modest, but it should be remembered that from such humble beginnings came the success of curative therapy for childhood cancers, germ cell tumours, leukaemias, and lymphomas. However, at present, these agents are far from the ‘magic bullet’ that can eradicate cancer, and conventional treatments are not only vital as the mainstay of cancer management, but also areas for important innovations in themselves.