We did not require that each of the papers was comparative, expecting to be able to put together similar studies from different sites; but we do wanted contributions which are open to comparisons in discussion, and we hope to develop the comparative aspects in any publications Our group is funded by a Wellcome Trust Programme Grant to study the history of cancer research and cancer services, especially in Britain, since 1945 It links us with fellow historians in several countries, including at the National Cancer Institute and the National Library of Medicine, USA, where we jointly sponsored a conference in 2004