[Advances in cancer research. Cancer research and clinical oncology in the 21st century].

It is my great pleasure to congradulate the Japanese Journal of Cancer and Chemotherapy on its 25 th anniversary. During this period, great progress has been made in cancer research, mainly owing to the advances in technology in molecular biology. Recently, not only researchers, but lay people as well have come to understand that cancer is mainly a genetic disease. Advances in the human genome project, DNA chip technology and gene technology; including gene targeting and cloning techniques, will enable us to accelerate progress forward the final goal of cancer research in the coming century. Major changes are coming in both cancer research and clinical oncology, which will completely transform the human social environment.