World Journal of Surgical Oncology: One year of Open Access publishing

In many parts of the world cancer is the second leading cause of death, with substantial amounts of health care resources allocated for cancer research, patient care, rehabilitation, and education. Because of the rapid growth of Oncology, many new specialties have developed, including 'Surgical Oncology,' which includes not only surgeons but other health professionals whose interests cover areas such as genetics, pathology, nursing, medical imaging, psychiatry and rehabilitation. As we embark on the 21st century, the surgical treatment of the common "solid" cancers still offers the only hope of cure for patients with many of the most commonly occurring cancers in the world today.