title: Major milestones in translational oncology.
abstract: Translational oncology represents a bridge between basic research and clinical practice in cancer medicine. Today, translational research in oncology benefits from an abundance of knowledge resulting from genome-scale studies regarding the molecular pathways involved in tumorigenesis. In this Forum article, we highlight the state of the art of translational oncology in five major cancer types. We illustrate the use of molecular profiling to subtype colorectal cancer for both diagnosis and treatment, and summarize the results of a nationwide screening program for ovarian cancer based on detection of a tumor biomarker in serum. Additionally, we discuss how circulating tumor DNA can be assayed to safely monitor breast cancer over the course of treatment, and report on how therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors is proving effective in advanced lung cancer. Finally, we summarize efforts to use molecular profiling of prostate cancer biopsy specimens to support treatment decisions. Despite encouraging early successes, we cannot disregard the complex genetics of individual susceptibility to cancer nor the enormous complexity of the somatic changes observed in tumors, which urge particular attention to the development of personalized therapies.
authors.affiliation: Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via G.A. Amadeo 42, I-20133, Milan, Italy. tommaso.dragani@istitutotumori.mi.it.
authors.forename: Tommaso A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Dragani
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERehd, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castells
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Vathany
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kulasingam
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Eleftherios P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Diamandis
authors.affiliation: Deptartment of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Earl
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Wade T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Iams
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.|Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lovly
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J P Michiel
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sedelaar
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jack A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schalken
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000639:trends*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000639:trends; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Biomarkers; Breast; Cancer vaccines; Colorectal; Early diagnosis; Genetic profile; Immunotherapy; Individual risk; Liquid biopsy; Lung; Mutational landscape; Next generation sequencing; Ovarian; Prostate; Tumorigenesis