Editors' pick 2012

As in previous years, the editors have made a personal selection of some of what for us have been highlights among the papers published in BJCP in 2012.

Oncotherapeutic biomarkers: from genetics to tumour volumes. Caveat lector!

During the last decade the term ‘biomarker’ has become very sexy and widely used. The NIH definition of a biomarker is ‘a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biologic processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention’ 1. Such characteristics are hugely diverse (for example genetic, biochemical, functional or anatomical). In oncology, as in many therapeutic areas, there is a burgeoning pressure to define and validate biomarkers that enhance our understanding of pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD).