The International Society for the Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc) has initiated in collaboration with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a programmatic look at innovative avenues for the identification of relevant parameters to assist clinical and basic scientists who study the natural course of host/tumor interactions or their response to immune manipulation. The task force has two primary goals: 1) identify best practices of standardized and validated immune monitoring procedures and assays to promote inter-trial comparisons and 2) develop strategies for the identification of novel biomarkers that may enhance our understating of principles governing human cancer immune biology and, consequently, implement their clinical application. Two working groups were created that will report the developed best practices at an NCI/FDA/iSBTc sponsored workshop tied to the annual meeting of the iSBTc to be held in Washington DC in the Fall of 2009. This foreword provides an overview of the task force and invites feedback from readers that might be incorporated in the discussions and in the final document.Authors: Lisa H. Butterfield, Mary L. Disis, Bernard A. Fox, Peter P. Lee, Samir N. Khleif, Magdalena Thurin, Giorgio Trinchieri, Ena Wong, Jon Wigginton, Damien Chaussabel, George Coukos, Madhav Dhodapkar, Leif Håkansson, Sylvia Janetzki, Thomas O. Kleen, John M. Kirkwood, Cristina Maccalli, Holden Maecker, Michele Maio, Anatoli Malyguine, Giuseppe Masucci, A. Karolina Palucka, Douglas M. Potter, Antoni Ribas, Licia Rivoltini, Dolores Schendel, Barbara Seliger, Senthamil Selvan, Craig L. Slingluff Jr, David F. Stroncek, Howard Streicher, Xifeng Wu, Benjamin Zeskind, Yingdong Zhao, Mai-Britt Zocca, Heinz Zwierzina and Francesco M. MarincolaPublished as a commentary in the Journal of Translational Medicine (2008) 6:81.#SITCPublication