The diagnosis and treatment of cancer continues to pose profound challenges. Over the past 50–60 years, significant advances have been made in the screening, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, resulting in the current cure rate of 40–60%.1–3 Together with surgery and radiotherapy, systemic chemotherapy has been the mainstay of cancer treatment for over half a century. However, conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy is fraught with both short- and longterm side-effects, to the extent that many patients and caregivers consider the option of cancer treatment to represent a choice between 'the devil and the deep sea'. Although combinations of cytotoxic chemotherapy are developed following rigorous evidence-based testing, a significant number of patients may not benefit from the combination and develop side-effects due to the non-selective nature of the treatment. Personalised and individualised treatment therefore remains a much desired but elusive goal for cancer patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals alike.