Modeling human cancer: report on the Eighth Beatson International Cancer Conference.

One of the major challenges facing cancer researchers is the necessity to adequately model the human disease. This need is driven by goals, including validating/determining the contribution of a gene to cancer, establishing systems for drug discovery and validation, and discovering additional factors that modify the oncogenic process. Recent advances in cancer modeling were discussed at the Eighth Beatson International Cancer Conference on June 19 to 22, 2005 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The conference was attended by 250 scientists with >130 oral and poster presentations. The research presented made use of systems ranging from two-dimensional and three-dimensional cell culture to nonmammalian and mammalian in vivo models. In addition to basic research on the fundamental processes involved in cancer, novel developments in cancer treatment were presented.