Dear Colleagues,

The cancer research community in India has made great strides over the years. Many of the fruits of our results are being translated in the clinics. We have made progress in our understanding of the neoplastic process, at the cellular and molecular level, as also the clinical implications, and providing information for community based policies. The nature of clinical reporting of cancers has changed completely, with molecular stratification being as important as conventional histopathology. Precision medicine, targeted therapies and newer therapies like immunotherapy have influenced outcome to a great extent, and overall we are seeing an approach to cancer management that is more and more like that for chronic diseases. At the time when the lab and clinic are merging, first of all it important to emphasise on basic research in cancer. The unpredictable nature of the fruits of basic research often lead it to be perceived as something exotic. However, the probabilistic nature of the discovery process ensures that with an open mind, a solid grounding in basic sciences or clinical medicine, and willingness to engage in collaborations, both bench level scientists and clinicians can contribute to our fundamental understanding of cancers. It is also the time to take a close look at epidemiology, and social and behavioural sciences, and combine these with our understanding of the clinical presentation and molecular features of tumours. This complexity also challenges our scientific tools, with more and more integration of mathematical concepts, whether it be at the level of epidemiology or high throughput and systems biology. I have no doubt, that India provides a rich natural laboratory, with great opportunities to increase our understanding of disease, and to alleviate human suffering.
The IACR community is a rich treasure of these knowledge, skills and in depth understanding. The annual meetings provide a wonderful platform to interact with a diverse group if cancer researchers of all specializations. We also need to create a larger critical mass of transdisciplinary researchers – those well-grounded in their core disciplines, yet eager to step outside their boundaries and acquire new insights and skills. One of the ways of doing so is to strengthen the activities of at the levels of Zones and Local Chapters. Some of the local chapters have been very active, I hope the next few years will bring up many, many more. The IACR also provides a platform to engage with the global community, so that we are able to be a part of the great intellectual ferment world-wide and translate the fruits of the global efforts of cancer researchers to our society.
My very best wishes to the members of the IACR, and may the next year see renewed dynamism, as we build up on the foundations of the society laid over the past decades.