ecancermedicalscience  has published a new Special Issue to honour the enduring legacy of Umberto Veronesi,  ecancer’s co-Founding Editor, who passed away last year.

In six articles, authors from across the globe discuss his contributions to many fields of oncology, and explore current and future horizons built on his research.

"Umberto Veronesi and I agreed about most things, but free access to knowledge was a fundamental credo for each of us" writes Prof Gordon McVie, who co-founded ecancer with Veronesi in 2007. "ecancermedicalscience was born to be free - free to publish, free to read. We debated paper vs the internet for a few weeks, but decided on the latter, so that global outreach might follow, and those scientists, doctors and, most important of all, patients in developing countries would benefit most from our efforts."

"Our six commissioned articles look forward and stand on Umberto’s shoulders to improve the view. The great teacher could communicate with folk from any walk of scientific life, and his allergy to silo mentality was one explanation for the range of the topics in this special issue, from carcinogenesis and genetics through chemoprevention and nuclear imaging to conservative surgery and cognitive psychology, with contributions emerging from several continents, at least one of which is far from developed."

Ketti Mazzocco, Chiara Marzorati and Gabriella Pravettoni from the European Institute of Oncology and the University of Milan contribute an article on Veronesi's involvement in the development of psycho-oncology, with an emphasis on treating the patient, not the disease.

Giovanni Corso, Paolo Veronesi, Virgilio Sacchini and Viviana Galimberti from the European Institute of Oncology chart a historical summary of the Veronesi quandrantectomy, the pioneering technique which he developed in the 1970s and ‘80s.  Veronesi was the first in the world to state that the radical mastectomy appeared to involve unnecessary mutilation in patients with breast cancer of less than 2 cm and no palpable axillary nodes.  The technique he developed is now the standard of treatment worldwide.

Other articles go on to consider personal experiences working alongside Veronesi, the role of radioguidance and combined modalities in modern breast cancer treatments, and looking towards the future of personalised medicine, in policy and in practice.  The quality of life for patients was of utmost importance to Veronesi, and his long and distinguished career focused on that at all times.  This is also a key goal for ecancer.

"Our authors are ex fellows, followers, friends, colleagues, collaborators and creative spirits, committed without exception to the patient, not the disease - Umberto’s overriding mantra" writes McVie. "Like many of his patients, we at ecancer owe him a debt of gratitude for his total belief in the journal, and the continuous commitment to its expansion."