Editorial
Two Decades of The Oncologist BRUCE A. CHABNER Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Bruce A. Chabner
Twenty years ago, Marty and Ann Murphy proposed that they would publish a new journal, The Oncologist, and asked me to edit the same. As I was about to leave the National Cancer Institute and experience new-found freedom in the private sector, I eagerly accepted the challenge. Our common objective was to keep the practicing oncology community abreast of the latest developments in cancer treatment and cancer care, paying close attention to the interface between basic science and clinical investigation. It was then, and remains now, our conviction that the practice of oncology touches the frontier of cancer biology in the new drugs, biomarkers, and even concepts of disease causation and progression that evolve on a daily basis and govern our management of patients. Thanks to the dedication of our editorial board and the oncology community, we have done a reasonable job of bringing those developments to the practicing community. I introduced the journal with my opening editorial, “Back to the Future for Clinical Oncology” [1], which stressed the changes then transforming oncology: multidisciplinary decision making and care, rapid evolution of science, and economic reforms that limit choices and tend to “standardize” treatment approaches. Little did we appreciate the magnitude of those changes and their impact on care. Multidisciplinary care is now the accepted norm in most academic centers and many practices. We vastly underestimated the pace of evolution of molecular oncology and immunology, and their impact on drug and biomarker development. Who would have imagined that a new pill for lung cancer (ceritinib) would be approved after a phase I trial and three years in the clinic, or that another pill (an IDH2 inhibitor) could put a refractory leukemia into remission? The remarkable openness to rapid cancer drug approval by Rick Pazdur and colleagues at our FDA has given the U.S. oncology community unprecedented access to new drugs in the past 10 years. The quickening pace of science and technology applied to cancer has occurred against
a backdrop of paradigm change in the financing and administration of care: the consolidation of hospital systems and practices, and the extension of insurance to the underserved through the Affordable Care Act. There are serious counterforces to reckon with in the next decade: declining federal support for cancer research, an increased administrative burden on practices and hospitals, and the relentless increase in the cost of drugs. How do we translate this new knowledge and these new tools of treatment into actual cures, and into effective prevention? How can our society afford the unrelenting increases in the cost of these new treatments? How do we provide efficient and cost-effective care to an expanding and aging population in the face of declining reimbursement? Despite the increasing complexity of oncology science and medical care financing, the excitement and anticipation of success in our field has never been greater, and as basic scientists, academic investigators, and clinical trialists work together ever more closely, our dreams of controlling and eradicating this group of diseases will surely be realized. For the readers of The Oncologist, in print and online, it will be our mission in the next decade to anticipate and offer perspective on the scientific, economic, and clinical forces that will determine the success of this effort. When I pause to reflect on these past twenty years, I recall precious memories borne out of the Journal. Chief among them is the joy of working in concert with global experts who dedicate themselves to helping shape each monthly issue into the best educational instrument possible. And the way in which we have been able to document the remarkable progress in our field, and the contributions of academia, industry, and government (and particularly the FDA) to that progress. Our authors know that, through the pages and website of The Oncologist they are serving cancer doctors and their patients around the world. I am especially grateful for those who, over the past two decades, have accepted positions of
Correspondence: Bruce A. Chabner, M.D., 10 North Grove Street, LRH 214, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. Telephone: 617-724-3200; E-Mail: [email protected] ©AlphaMed Press 1083-7159/2015/$20.00/0 http:// dx.doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2014-0490
The Oncologist 2015;20:1–2 www.TheOncologist.com
©AlphaMed Press 2015
Two Decades of The Oncologist
2
leadership in the Journal and, as a consequence, have spent many hours reviewing manuscripts and have proactively invited important articles that have helped to enlighten our readership on timely issues. I grow in appreciation for those who protect both the rigor of the Scientific Method that is evidence-based and the sanctity of the peer-review process that relies on individual and collective integrity. As a final salute, I wish to recognize two indispensable guardians of the Journal: the devotion of our managing editor and publisher, Ann Murphy, whose skillful hand and innate sense of fairness have served us so well, and the constant support and encouragement of our executive editor, Martin Murphy. Without their strength and wisdom, the Journal would not have flourished these past twenty years. At this Twentieth Anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to the principles that have stood in such good stead. We also
remind you, our reader, that this is all devoted to you and through you, to your patients. Some of the most important moments of the Journal’s first twenty years were highlighted when you, our reader, wrote us with a request, a commentary, and, yes, when you wrote to voice your opinions that differed from our own. These are among the most “precious moments,” for all that we do is not only directed to you, it is devoted to you. We are committed to keeping up our dialogue as we continue to prepare the way for the improved multimodality care of cancer patients. This is a sacred trust and we accept it in concert with each of you, our readers.
Bruce A. Chabner, M.D. Editor-in-Chief
REFERENCE 1. Chabner BA. Back to the future for clinical oncology. The Oncologist 1996;1:I.
OTncologist he
©AlphaMed Press 2015
®
Two Decades of The Oncologist BRUCE A. CHABNER Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Bruce A. Chabner
Twenty years ago, Marty and Ann Murphy proposed that they would publish a new journal, The Oncologist, and asked me to edit the same. As I was about to leave the National Cancer Institute and experience new-found freedom in the private sector, I eagerly accepted the challenge. Our common objective was to keep the practicing oncology community abreast of the latest developments in cancer treatment and cancer care, paying close attention to the interface between basic science and clinical investigation. It was then, and remains now, our conviction that the practice of oncology touches the frontier of cancer biology in the new drugs, biomarkers, and even concepts of disease causation and progression that evolve on a daily basis and govern our management of patients. Thanks to the dedication of our editorial board and the oncology community, we have done a reasonable job of bringing those developments to the practicing community. I introduced the journal with my opening editorial, “Back to the Future for Clinical Oncology” [1], which stressed the changes then transforming oncology: multidisciplinary decision making and care, rapid evolution of science, and economic reforms that limit choices and tend to “standardize” treatment approaches. Little did we appreciate the magnitude of those changes and their impact on care. Multidisciplinary care is now the accepted norm in most academic centers and many practices. We vastly underestimated the pace of evolution of molecular oncology and immunology, and their impact on drug and biomarker development. Who would have imagined that a new pill for lung cancer (ceritinib) would be approved after a phase I trial and three years in the clinic, or that another pill (an IDH2 inhibitor) could put a refractory leukemia into remission? The remarkable openness to rapid cancer drug approval by Rick Pazdur and colleagues at our FDA has given the U.S. oncology community unprecedented access to new drugs in the past 10 years. The quickening pace of science and technology applied to cancer has occurred against
a backdrop of paradigm change in the financing and administration of care: the consolidation of hospital systems and practices, and the extension of insurance to the underserved through the Affordable Care Act. There are serious counterforces to reckon with in the next decade: declining federal support for cancer research, an increased administrative burden on practices and hospitals, and the relentless increase in the cost of drugs. How do we translate this new knowledge and these new tools of treatment into actual cures, and into effective prevention? How can our society afford the unrelenting increases in the cost of these new treatments? How do we provide efficient and cost-effective care to an expanding and aging population in the face of declining reimbursement? Despite the increasing complexity of oncology science and medical care financing, the excitement and anticipation of success in our field has never been greater, and as basic scientists, academic investigators, and clinical trialists work together ever more closely, our dreams of controlling and eradicating this group of diseases will surely be realized. For the readers of The Oncologist, in print and online, it will be our mission in the next decade to anticipate and offer perspective on the scientific, economic, and clinical forces that will determine the success of this effort. When I pause to reflect on these past twenty years, I recall precious memories borne out of the Journal. Chief among them is the joy of working in concert with global experts who dedicate themselves to helping shape each monthly issue into the best educational instrument possible. And the way in which we have been able to document the remarkable progress in our field, and the contributions of academia, industry, and government (and particularly the FDA) to that progress. Our authors know that, through the pages and website of The Oncologist they are serving cancer doctors and their patients around the world. I am especially grateful for those who, over the past two decades, have accepted positions of
Correspondence: Bruce A. Chabner, M.D., 10 North Grove Street, LRH 214, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. Telephone: 617-724-3200; E-Mail: [email protected] ©AlphaMed Press 1083-7159/2015/$20.00/0 http:// dx.doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2014-0490
The Oncologist 2015;20:1–2 www.TheOncologist.com
©AlphaMed Press 2015
Two Decades of The Oncologist
2
leadership in the Journal and, as a consequence, have spent many hours reviewing manuscripts and have proactively invited important articles that have helped to enlighten our readership on timely issues. I grow in appreciation for those who protect both the rigor of the Scientific Method that is evidence-based and the sanctity of the peer-review process that relies on individual and collective integrity. As a final salute, I wish to recognize two indispensable guardians of the Journal: the devotion of our managing editor and publisher, Ann Murphy, whose skillful hand and innate sense of fairness have served us so well, and the constant support and encouragement of our executive editor, Martin Murphy. Without their strength and wisdom, the Journal would not have flourished these past twenty years. At this Twentieth Anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to the principles that have stood in such good stead. We also
remind you, our reader, that this is all devoted to you and through you, to your patients. Some of the most important moments of the Journal’s first twenty years were highlighted when you, our reader, wrote us with a request, a commentary, and, yes, when you wrote to voice your opinions that differed from our own. These are among the most “precious moments,” for all that we do is not only directed to you, it is devoted to you. We are committed to keeping up our dialogue as we continue to prepare the way for the improved multimodality care of cancer patients. This is a sacred trust and we accept it in concert with each of you, our readers.
Bruce A. Chabner, M.D. Editor-in-Chief
REFERENCE 1. Chabner BA. Back to the future for clinical oncology. The Oncologist 1996;1:I.
OTncologist he
©AlphaMed Press 2015
®
