The European School of Oncology came into existence to respond to a need for informa tion, education and training in the field of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. There are two main reasons why such an initiative was considered necessary. Firstly, the teaching of oncology requires a rigorously multidisciplinary approach which is difficult for the Univer sities to put into practice since their system is mainly disciplinary orientated. Secondly, the rate of technological development th...