Cancer bioinformatics: bioinformatic methods, network biomarkers and precision medicine, a collaborative series  involving BMC Bioinformatics, BMC Cancer, BMC Medicine, Genome Medicine and Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics (JCBi) has published its first set of articles on May 1st 2012.

Edited by Xiangdong Wang, Editor in Chief for Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics (Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Biomedical Research Center, Fudan University), this thematic series combines a plethora of approaches and disciplines in cancer research, bioinformatics and medicine.  In the Editorial by Wang et al. the expectations and focus of the series is  described, namely to show novel research in cancer bioinformatics and systems biology and to investigate the potential  for translation of the results into the care of patients with cancer.

Silvia von der Heyde and Tim Beissbarth discuss in their Commentary new methods of analysis of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)  pathway, suspected to be involved in the progression and development of a number of cancer types. These approaches do not focus on the individual players of the pathways and instead provide a more global view on the signaling pathways.

Investigation of the behaviours of cancer in patient cohorts, as well as individuals, is essential for providing appropriate care to each person with cancer.

With all the exciting developments in high throughput methods for understanding individual genomes, a fascinating and essential step now underway is bringing that knowledge into the clinic. By applying a combination of clinical, medical and bioinformatics expertise to the understanding of cancer and its development, outcomes for patients can only be improved.

Submissions to this special collection are welcomed until 1^st November 2012 and new articles will be added continuously to the series homepage. Please join the discussions by using the ‘comment’ option below each individual article.