Basic cancer research: why it is essential for the future of cancer therapy

The last decade has witnessed significant progress in cancer understanding and therapy: we can now identify the genetic drivers of individual tumours, and tailor drugs able to specifically intercept the driver mutations. While all agree that personalized cancer medicine is a clear outcome of the resources dedicated to cancer research over the last 50 years, some critics question the necessity for continuous investments in sub-fields other than clinical research and drug development. Herein, scientists from the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) argue that the new ways to diagnose and treat cancer present important and hitherto unaddressed challenges for fundamental research of cancer. Allocating the resources needed for basic studies will likely fuel the next wave of achievements in the long way to conquer cancer.