"Challenges and Opportunities for Statisticians in Cancer Research"

John Crowley, PhD
CEO, Cancer Research And Biostatistics (CRAB)
Director, Southwest Oncology Group Statistical Center
Seattle, WA, USA

The scientific challenges in cancer research present opportunities for
those statisticians willing to invest enough time to learn the necessary
background information and to develop the needed collaborations. The
potential for impact on medical practice is matched by the potential for
contribution to statistical science. I will illustrate this precept with
a few examples from my own experience, emphasizing the field of survival
analysis, then discuss some current challenges, including the design of
cancer clinical trials in the new world of genomics and targeted
therapies.