A report from the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (June 3-7, 2011 - Chicago, Illinois, USA).

Improving survival, as well as the quality of life and functioning of survivors, is the main objective of cancer therapy, for which a very large number of drugs are currently available or under development as therapeutic candidates. Information on many of these compounds was discussed during the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago. The number of news presentations discussed during the meeting was incredibly high, with plenary, oral abstract, poster discussion and general poster sessions filling room upon room. The following report provides a quick review of major new research into drug and support therapies for cancer as presented at the meeting.