Starting in 1986, the European School of Oncology has expanded its activities in post graduate teaching, which consisted mainly of traditional disease-orientated courses, by promoting new educational initiatives. One of these is the cloister seminars, short meet ings intended for highly qualified oncologists and dealing with specific, controversial aspects of clinical practice and research. Another is the institution of permanent study groups, also called task forces, where a limited number of leading experts are invited to meet once a year with the aim of defining the state of the art and possibly reaching a consensus on developments and treatment in specific fields of oncology. This series of ESO Monographs was designed with the specific purpose of disseminat ing the results of the most interesting of the seminars and study groups, and providing concise and updated reviews of the subjects discussed. It was decided to keep the layout very simple in order to keep costs to a minimum and make the monographs available in the shortest possible time, thus overcoming a com mon problem in medical literature: that of the material being outdated even before publication. Umberto Veronesi Chairman, Scientific Committee European School of Oncology Position Paper on the Application of Human Tumour Xenografts as a Model for Preclinical Phase" Studies in the Evaluation of New Anticancer Compounds Outcome of a seminar on Human Tumour Xenografts organised by the European School of Oncology, Milan, 26th-27th May, 1986.

"Clinical Futures" is a ground breaking book about the future of medicine, about what medicine will be able to achieve over the next half century, and about what we may be able to expect from the health service.

Leading clinical researchers have been invited to look at areas of clinical advance such as brain function, medical physics, cancer, ageing, child health, genetic engineering and heart disease. Describing the various lines of promising research as we approach the millennium, they consider a number of possible future scenarios of health care, and have astonishing stories to tell.

The authors try to anticipate what these 'futures' may look like, what effects they may have on our lives, on society, on the health care professions, and on the NHS. They consider both the promises and the threats, the dangers and the hope, as medical science increases its ability to manipulate our bodies and minds in the pursuit of better health.

This book is equally fascinating for medical and non medical readers. In aiming it at both audiences the editors seek to open up the ethical debates about the future of medicine.