The rapidly evolving understanding of tumour biology offers novel opportunities for therapeutic interventions. This information already has been used to select appropriate systemic treatment. To take full advantage of this knowledge, however, the different levels of interaction in an organism need to be integrated to link cellular mechanisms, stromal effects and the implications for organs and the whole organism. Although very challenging and ambitious, this understanding would closely link tumour biology, biomarker validation and rational therapeutic decisions.
Keywords: Cancer biology; predictive biomarkers; translational research.