E. Roy Berger, MD, FACP

At last year's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, the official focus was on seeing personalized cancer medicine translated from a theoretical approach to a practical one. As you will see in this issue of Oncology & Biotech News, success is being realized on this front.

This month's issue features highlights from the 10th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer (WCGC), held this past June in Barcelona, Spain. The WCGC is an annual meeting that provides scientific sessions and posters on various malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract.

Reporting on ASCO's October 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium and the Second Annual Conference of the International Liver Cancer Association held in September, highlighting new research and emerging trends in patient care and treatments.

Oncology & Biotech News (OBTN) starts its fourth year of publication with a new look and an even stronger focus on bringing you the latest developments in clinical trial research, practice guidelines, and regulatory information.

Healthcare reform (HCR) is complicated, not only because of the diversity of options but also the range and passion of opinions on the subject. Physicians are in the unique position of being able to see the debate from multiple angles. Yet, it does not take a physician to recognize that the current healthcare system is unsustainable.

Medical marijuana has been a hot topic in the United States lately. What should oncologists do when they live in states where medical marijuana is not legalized if a patient asks about it or acknowledges using the drug, either recreationally or to manage the side effects of cancer or treatment?

The National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the CDC and the American Cancer Society, recently reported that fewer men and women are dying from cancer each year in the United States.

Reporting on new research and emerging trends in breast and liver cancer.