Knowledge acquisition in oncology from randomized therapeutic trials

Appreciating the impact, on the progress of our knowledge, of randomized therapeutic trials performed over a period of thirty years leads to a two-fold approach: a) Drawing up the list of randomized trials and assessing the impact of their conclusions on the progress of our knowledge and on the improvement of standard therapy; b) from recognised progress in oncology, appraising the part played by randomized trials in the acquisition of that knowledge.