European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)
The aims of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) are to develop, conduct, coordinate, and stimulate laboratory and clinical research in Europe to improve the management of cancer and related problems by increasing survival but also patients' quality of life. Extensive and comprehensive research in this wide field is often beyond the means of individual European laboratories and hospitals, and can best be accomplished through the multidisciplinary, multinational efforts of basic research scientists and clinicians from the European continent. During the last few years, numerous innovative agents have been discovered as a result of tremendous development in the understanding of the molecular basis of cancer. Further clinical progress in cancer treatment will be accomplished mainly through the conduct of translational research projects, efficient drug development and the execution of large, prospective, randomized, multicenter cancer clinical trials. EORTC promotes multidisciplinary cancer research in Europe and is linked to other leading biomedical research organizations around the world. EORTC has the aim to facilitate the passage of experimental discoveries into state-of-the-art treatment by keeping to a minimum the time lapse between the discovery of new anti-cancer agents and the implementation of their therapeutic benefit for patients with cancer. The ultimate goal of the EORTC is to improve the standard of cancer treatment in Europe, through the development of innovative drugs, and to establish more effective therapeutic strategies, using drugs already commercially available, or surgery and radiotherapy.