Of mice and men: patient-derived xenografts in cancer medicine

A large proportion of oncological care is directed towards patients in whom the fraction of responders is low and the duration of response short with minimal clinical benefit. As acerbically observed by Roy Porter, 'What an ignominious destiny if the future of medicine turns into bestowing meagre increments of unenjoyed life?' [1]. Thus, it is a priority in cancer research to radically shift from therapies which are used indiscriminately across specific tumour types, to personalized therapies which can both improve efficacy and reduce unnecessary toxicities and futile treatments [2].

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