The field of solid tumor oncology is changing at an astonishing rate. To learn about new developments, generate fresh research perspectives, and then integrate these advancements into clinical practice is a daunting challenge confronting all who work in the oncology arena. The onset and rapid deployment of Internet capacities worldwide has created a mileau of global and instantaneous information access. The task of staying current is - coming even more challenging, and in some ways, more difficult to accomplish. Against this information pressure backdrop, how can yet more didactic material for the already overburdened oncology physician be justified? Based on the premise that we all must remain in a learning mode if we are to remain relevant, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Annual of Solid Tumor Oncology is designed to focus on a single disease site in each volume. It is our belief that there is an information “gray zone” that lies - tween the peer reviewed (and increasingly electronically available) individual research - port and the large comprehensive multiauthored textbook. Between these two loci there - ists an information gap that will be best served by a succinct disease site-focused volume that provides an in-depth analysis of current multimodality care for a specific solid tumor system, as well as the areas of basic, translational, and clinical research that will emerge for future clinical application.
