The potential value of artificial neural networks (ANNs) as a predictor of malignancy has now been widely recognised. The concept of ANNs dates back to the early part of the 20th century; however, their latest resurrection started in earnest in the 1980s when they were applied to many problems in the areas of pattern recognition, control, and optimisation. Here we present a series of articles that emphasise the keen interest displayed by the scientific community in the application of neural networks in the management of human cancers, and also reflect the recent intense activity in this field. The neural systems use prognostic cancer markers as input neurons.
