Cancer: Defeating the immortal

My first reaction when I was invited to contribute an article for the section "Profiles and Legacies" of Cancer Biology & Therapy was a shock. Am I that old, at the age of 46 years, that I should write my own obituary? But then I realized that I would have the opportunity to share some of my intimate convictions, dilemmas and doubts. So instead of an auto-apotheosis, this piece will simply translate what I could tell a friend during an after-dinner conversation, knowing that the plans for the future (optimistically) outnumber the experiences in the past.