This second edition of the Oxford Textbook of Oncology follows the success of the first, published in 1995. Since that edition there have been remarkable developments in the basic and clinical science of cancer medicine. In this edition we have attempted to incorporate these advances, placing them in the context of the work of the practising clinician. We have followed the example set by our predecessors in the previous edition by choosing authors from many different countries on the basis of their acknowledged expertise and excellence. We have developed, we hope, a style of explanation and illustration that is consistent throughout the text, so that the book looks and reads as a coherent work.