Mathematicians and physicists have tried for decades to model tumor progression, and metastasis by making numerous simplified assumptions. However, the pace of methodological development in the last few years has been so remarkable that many of these simplifications are no longer necessary. Instead, in the next few years we will have much more information on the detailed state of tumors than we will be able to handle or interpret. Models that can reduce this kind of data to a more general understanding of the common features in tumors could greatly accelerate the necessary scientific advances.