Should the prescription of oral anticancer drugs be restricted?

n the year 2010, the Spanish Society of Medical Oncolgy (SEOM) published an editorial1 in the Annals of Oncology ntitled “Treatment of cancer with oral drugs: a position stateent by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology”. The main remise of the editorial was a call to grant medical oncologists he exclusive right to prescribe all anticancer drugs, whether dministration is intravenous or oral. As might be expected, hat editorial has ignited a fierce and ongoing debate in pain. The first medical society to respond was the Spanish Socity of Radiation Oncologists (SEOR) via a letter to the editor2 o rebut the radical stance taken by the SEOM. The SEOR also ollowed up that letter with an editorial in the Spanish joural Clinical and Translational Oncology (CTO).3 Several months ater, endocrinologists representing the Spanish Society of ndocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) also responded to the orignal SEOM editorial with a letter to the editor of Annals of ncology.4 We believe that the outcome of this intense debate, which s taking place in a well-known international journal, has mplications for all specialists who currently prescribe oral nticancer medications.