Progress against cancer requires long-term investments in basic research, which lay the foundations for tomorrow's clinical advances. Research that leads to a new treatment or intervention usually involves a process that spans years or even decades before patients benefit. The development of the cancer drug crizotinib (Xalkori) is one such example. Crizotinib was initially developed to target the protein produced by the oncogene MET. It was later found to also inhibit the proteins produced by oncogenic forms of the ALK gene, which have been found in anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL) and some non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and neuroblastomas. NCI-funded basic research identified these targets and revealed their biological importance in cancer development and progression. The arc of scientific discovery leading to the first Food and Drug Administration approval of crizotinib for NSCLC spanned a period of nearly 30 years. Clinical testing of the drug for additional molecular subtypes of NSCLC, ALCL, and neuroblastoma continues today.