With one eye on the future

In the past 20 years we have seen the rise of a new era of cancer research that moved its focus away from the cancer cell itself and revealed a complexity of interactions, both within the tumor and with the host, that ultimately dictate the evolution and progression of the disease. We have witnessed the development of immunotherapies that changed the fate of many patients and new diagnostic strategies with the potential of changing clinical practice. In this article, several experts discuss what lies ahead.