The name thalidomide still stirs up memories of the teratogenic tragedies it caused when marketed as a sleeping aid decades ago. But once past those painful images, thalidomide is making a positive impression in its newfound role as an antiangiogenesis agent. These agents are hot news in the fight against cancer, as they encourage host resistance to tumour cell invasion, and/or inhibit the tumour's ability to trigger blood vessel growth. Thalidomide is being tested as a potential antineoplastic agent against various solid tumours, and a report on its use in multiple myeloma attracted considerable interest at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XVI [New York, US; November 1998].