40 years of progress in chemotherapy

The history of medical oncology's history is exemplary for the rapidity of its evolution and its therapeutic acquisitions; Chemotherapy contributes to modify the natural history of the majority of cancers. The development of clinical research in medical oncology has entered a conflict phase, where patients have become an economical stake. The necessary co-operation between oncologists, other medical specialists, the basic scientists and competent regulatory authorities should be treated as a trump card in the attempt to exit from the current mid-life crisis of our specialty.