In recent years, both new treatments targeting specific molecular alterations within tumors and immunotherapy have shown remarkable successes; however many challenges remain. More than half of all treated cancer patients live five years or longer, but work still remains to improve these figures. Cancer Core Europe brings together the expertise and critical mass required to effectively move translational research into the clinic, bringing breakthrough discoveries to benefit patients at an appropriate cost. Providing an environment where basic, translational, and clinical research occur side-by-side in our centers means that patients can benefit directly from experimental findings.

Likewise, observations made in the clinic inform research being carried out. Cancer Core Europe, with the support of patient advocates, embraces this patient-centered approach. Sharing is essential—the complementary expertise of each center will sustain a common infrastructure providing patients with access to cutting-edge therapies, targeted for each patient and including immune therapies. Collective efforts to pool information from clinical, environmental, genomic, imaging and immune biology databases, will transform clinicians’ and researchers’ approach to cancer research, thereby permitting a deeper understanding than any single center could achieve on its own. Dissemination of findings to the public and specialists and training the future generation of oncologists will contribute to improving cancer health in Europe.