[Requirements for the development of molecularly defined targeted therapy in oncology]

The revolutionary development in the biosciences during the last 15 years--including the sequencing of the human genome and multiple other genomes as well the possibility of massive parallel analysis of thousands of data points within a single experiment--have greatly improved our understanding of the pathophysiology of tumor development and progression as well as metastasis.

The further development of genomic technology for routine clinical use is slowly but steadily leading to a paradigm shift: the currently used tumor definition based on pathologic and histological assessment is replaced by molecularly defined tumor subtypes. This is an essential prerequisite for the development of molecularly defined individualized therapies in oncology leading to more effective treatments with less severe side effects. The first molecularly defined drugs (targeted drugs) have already entered the clinical arena. However, not only diagnostics and therapy on oncology will change dramatically in the future, but also the way we have to organize oncology itself.

The integration of genomics and information technologies will require the establishment of interdisciplinary teams beyond the already established collaborations between surgeons, radiotherapists and medical oncologists.