Contemporary biomedical research is on the threshold of an era in which physiological and pathological processes can be analyzed in increasingly precise and mechanistic terms. The transformation of biology from a largely descriptive, phenomenological discipline to one in which the regulatory principles can be understood and manipulated with predictability brings a new dimension to the study of cancer and the search for effective therapeutic modalities for this disease. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews provides a forum for critical review and discussion of these challenging developments.Each issue of Cancer and Metastasis Reviews is devoted to a particular theme or topic and will contain from five to seven different contributions. In addition, an introductory preface is included from an individual who is distinguished in the field to be covered. The topics and contributors are chosen by the Editor-in-Chief after consultation with various members of the Editorial Advisory Board. Special emphasis is placed on subjects which are of relevance to the molecular and cellular biology of cancer metastasis and tumor progression, as well as to the treatment of metastatic disease. Occasional issues will be devoted to an in-depth clinical and biological analysis of a particular type of cancer.A major function of the journal is to review some of the more important and interesting recent developments in the biology and treatment of malignant disease, as well as to highlight new and promising directions, be they technological or conceptual. Contributors are encouraged to review their personal work and be speculative.