Precision cancer medicine: deliver a lasting blow to cancer!

Cancer is a major public health problem around the world. It’s one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Just in 2015 alone, there were about 17.5 million cancer cases and 8.7 million deaths worldwide (1). In China, 4.3 million new cancer cases and 2.8 million cancer deaths occurred in 2015 (2). During the past 250 years, although we have witnessed many landmark discoveries in cancer research and treatment, there is still a long way to go to deliver a lasting blow to cancer.

It is acknowledged that cancer is a genetic disease, with characteristics of uncontrolled growth of cancer cells and the ability to migrate from the original site to distant sites (3). Just like “treatment based on syndrome differentiation” theory in Chinese Medicine, precision cancer medicine is an evolving approach to cancer care that aims to provide new knowledge regarding the pathogenesis of cancer to more precisely target therapy. With the mission to advance the understanding and practice of cancer medicine among health care professionals and patients, the journal Precision Cancer Medicine (PCM) is dedicated to providing an international platform for academic and practitioner discussion to new discovery and exchange ideas on this important issue. PCM, as an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal, will further our understanding in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment as well as recovery management of cancer care. It aims to advance both science and practice in cancer research and clinical trials, focusing on these areas: original articles, reviews, editorials, case reports, clinical guidelines, commentaries and perspectives. PCM will strive to engage multidisciplinary teams that involve clinicians, as well as scientists to stay at the forefront of developing and applying robust methods to understand precision cancer medicine and help accelerate the development of better prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

A road of a thousand miles begins with one step. By answering some of the most controversial topics in these areas, PCM aims to not only become an integrative learning platform for all doctors and researchers alike, but pose a real significance in the world of clinical practice where patients are the ultimate beneficiaries. We would like to thank all those who have made the launch of this journal possible, that include my colleagues, editor members, reviewers and authors. Here, we welcome you to join and grow together with PCM. We look forward to witnessing the journal’s growth in the near future.

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Provenance and Peer Review: This article was commissioned by the editorial office, Precision Cancer Medicine. The article did not undergo external peer review.

Conflicts of Interest: ZS serves as an unpaid Executive Editor-in-Chief of Precision Cancer Medicine. XG serves as an unpaid Editor-in-Chief of Precision Cancer Medicine. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

References

1. Global Burden of Disease Cancer Collaboration. Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, Years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years for 32 cancer groups, 1990 to 2015: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study. JAMA Oncol 2017;3:524-48. [Crossref] [PubMed]
2. Chen W, Zheng R, Baade PD, et al. Cancer statistics in China, 2015. CA Cancer J Clin 2016;66:115-32. [Crossref] [PubMed]
3. Hanahan D, Weinberg RA. Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation. Cell 2011;144:646-74. [Crossref] [PubMed]