Symposium theme: a conceptual approach to integrated cancer therapy.

The term "integrated cancer therapy" reflects treatment in which the decision making process is disease oriented rather than specialty or modality oriented. Two phases of integrated cancer therapy can be defined, the first being a determination of the treatment failure mechanisms for each of the variable clinical presentations of specific neoplasms. The second phase, integration of the available treatment modalities, is aimed at neutralizing the inherent weakness of any one method with the strength of other methods. A general strategic approach is presented.