10th NCI-EORTC Symposium on New Drugs in Cancer Therapy: Dutch Treat Revisited

Scientific meetings, like living organisms, tend to evolve over time. For example, the yearly ASCO meeting, which began as a small American academic oncology gathering emphasizing clinical research, has grown into a large, international forum which increasingly emphasizes best standard of care and reimbursement issues [Editor's note: see ASCO review by Chabner, Friedberg in this issue, page 263]. One meeting which has remained true to its initial mission is the NCI-EORTC Symposium on New Drugs in Cancer Therapy which occurs every two years in Amsterdam. Originally organized to help coordinate phase I cancer drug development between the United States and Europe, the meeting fills an important scientific niche. Largely because of the clinical trials standards which have been shared in this forum, phase I data from Europe are now used to launch phase II cancer trials in the United States. Today, the meeting focus-really, the meeting's challenge-remains cancer drug development in Europe and the United States.