45 th Annual Meeting of the Italian Cancer Society Bergamo,9-12 November 2003

The 45^th Annual Meeting of the Italian Cancer Society (SIC), held at the Centro Congressi Giovanni XXIII in Bergamo, Italy on 9-12 November, 2003, attracted almost 400 participants. The Scientific Committee chaired by R Giavazzi (Mario Negri Institute, Bergamo) and the board of the Italian Cancer Society produced a packed and varied program. Plenary sessions with keynote speakers (24 lectures) were combined with oral proffered papers (20 selected presentations), providing a platform from laboratory science to clinical interventions. Two hundred and sixty-one abstracts were submitted to the conference and presented in poster and poster discussion sessions, providing a stimulating ground for discussion and a network of interactive collaboration among young investigators.

The venue of Bergamo offered exceptional hospitality with social events in the beautiful old town and at the Modern Art Museum. We hope that the following report gives an idea of the event and will encourage the reader to attend the 46^th meeting of the SIC, 24-26 October, 2004 in Pisa.