Moving forward—The science and the patient

Progress in the development of cancer therapies has been impressive, but there “are miles to go before we sleep.” Precision medicine aided by artificial intelligence might make it possible not only to define the links between genetic and epigenetic factors in predicting the use of treatment strategies but also to identify lifestyle factors that can predict individual differences that fit into the precision medicine framework. The movement in this direction has been encouraging and could be further enhanced if these efforts were matched by improvements in the development of personalized prevention strategies, facilitated by policy and implementation methods involving communities and governments. At the same time, greater attention needs to be devoted to create a better environment for patients, including effective patient-doctor communication and relations. Ultimately, it is necessary not only to enhance life span but also to produce improved health span. Hand in hand with this is the need to consider the needs of patients to die comfortably and with dignity.