Inflammatory conditions in selected organs increase the risk of cancer. An inflammatory component is present also in the microenvironment of tumours that are not epidemiologically related to inflammation. Recent studies have begun to unravel molecular pathways linking inflammation and cancer. Schematically, an intrinsic (driven by genetic events that cause neoplasia) and an extrinsic (driven by inflammatory conditions which predispose to cancer) pathway link inflammation and cancer. Smouldering inflammation in the tumour microenvironment contributes to proliferation and survival of malignant cells, angiogenesis, metastasis, subversion of adaptive immunity, response to hormones and chemotherapeutic agents. As such, cancer-related inflammation (CRI) represents a target for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. We surmise that CRI represents the seventh hallmark of cancer. - 1. Mantovani A, Allavena P, Sica A, Balkwill F Cancer-Related Inflammation. Nature 454: 436-444, 2008. 2. Mantovani, A., Romero, P., Paluka, AK., Marincola, FM. Tumor immunity: effector response to tumor and the influence of the microenvironment. Lancet 371:771-783, 2008. 3. Biswas S.K. and Mantovani A. Macrophage plasticity and interaction with lymphocyte subsets: cancer as paradigm. Nat Immunol 2010: 11, 889-896. 4. Biswas S.K. and Mantovani A.Orchestration of metabolism by macrophages. Cell Metab. 2012: 15: 432-437. 5. Sica A, Mantovani A. Macrophage plasticity and polarization: in vivo veritas. J Clin Invest. 2012, 122:787-95. Speaker affiliation: University of Milan - Istituto Clinico Humanitas, IT