An interview with Alexander Eggermont.

E-mail address: janet.fricker@te 1574-7891/$ – see front matter doi:10.1016/j.molonc.2009.03.003 Taking a ‘‘helicopter view of oncology’’ has become the mainroleof Alexander Eggermont, the first president of the newly reformed European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), who is the driving force behind a new initiative to provide European governments with a ‘‘rationale’’ voice on oncology. But Eggermont, as head of the department of Surgical Oncology at the Erasmus University Medical Centre, who also holds a Chair of Experimental Surgical Oncology endowed by the Dutch Cancer Society, has done his fair share at the coal face of scientific endeavour. His multiple scientific achievements include helping to establish a TNF based isolated limb perfusion program in Europe, a significant contribution to drug development and clinical trial methodology, particularly in the fields of melanoma and sarcoma, and the establishment of a world class laboratory in tumour patho physiology. Eggermont’s prodigious publication output includes 500 peer reviewed publications, book chapters and monographs. Professor Eggermont, ‘‘Lex’’ to his friends, is a firm believer of there being a time in life for everything, and that now is his time for shaping the future of oncology. ‘‘When I was young I was damned good at the particular line of research I pursued. But with age I slide into a different functioning, and learn that I can have a far greater overall effect with broader brush political strokes than precisely defined areas of research,’’ he says. ‘‘ Occasionally one brilliant individual may stumble on something, but in general it’s the interactive process that is leading to the real advances in oncology.’’ In a profession whose members are renowned for their dynamism, Eggermont has distinguished himself on the world stage as having a ‘‘phenomenal’’ amount of energy, and