We will support the development and dissemination of interventions to treat malignancy by either destroying all cancer cells or modulating and controlling metastasis, both with minimal harm to healthy tissue.

Developing more efficient and effective cancer treatments that leave surrounding healthy tissue unharmed is at the heart of NCI's research agenda. These efforts build on our accelerated progress in preventing cancer and complement our increasing ability to thwart the progression of cancer to a metastatic state. Individualized therapies tailored to the specific characteristics of a patient's cancer provide hope that some cancers can be cured and many others managed as chronic diseases with little or no adverse effect on the daily lives or life expectancy of patients.

A strong understanding of the fundamental mechanisms leading to cancer progression and metastasis will dramatically improve our ability to identify key biochemical events in the disease process as targets for treatment. Accelerating target validation and the development of new treatment modalities will be possible through recent advances in biomedical technologies such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, nanotechnology, and imaging. Rapid translation from development to delivery will ensure that promising therapeutics move safely and efficiently from preclinical development through late-stage clinical trials and into clinical practice.

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