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Latest Stories
Podcast
Vote for The Cancer Letter Podcast at the 2026 Webby Awards!
The Directors
Leadership is changing at The Wistar Institute and the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute in the months to come—but the leaders of the two institutions say that this will have little if any effect on the clinical-research collaboration that they have spent the past 15years building (The Cancer Letter, July 12, 2019).
Trials & Tribulations
The incidence of multiple cancer types in people under the age of 50 has been rising, with early-onset cancers now contributing to nearly 15,000 excess cases of cancer in the U.S. annually.
Trials & Tribulations
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It is a reminder of a heartbreaking trend that oncologists like me are witnessing in our clinics: Last year, for the first time, colorectal cancer became the leading cause of cancer-related death in Americans under the age of 50, according to data published earlier this year in JAMA.
Clinical
Three decades ago, colorectal cancer was the fifth leading cause of cancer death in patients under 50 years old. For a physician treating the average 45-year-old, colorectal cancer was not a diagnosis that immediately came to mind.
Obituary
UC San Francisco Chancellor emeritus J. Michael Bishop, a pioneering microbiologist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that every cell in the body harbors genes that can cause cancer, died March 20. He was 90.
Sponsored
Cancer research increasingly demands environments that mirror the biology it seeks to understand: Complex, adaptive and deeply interconnected. At Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, collaboration is not treated as an optional cultural trait but as a structural requirement.
Sponsored
A powerful artificial intelligence tool could give clinicians a head start in identifying life-threatening complications after stem cell and bone marrow transplants, according to research from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
Cancer Policy
ImmunityBio and its owner and executive chairman Patrick Soon-Shiong received a warning letter from FDA for making false and misleading claims about a cancer treatment in television ads and on a podcast.
Cancer Policy
FDA, with support from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is scrapping a proposed rule that would have banned people under 18 from using tanning beds.
Cancer Policy
FDA has published a draft guidance to incentivize drug developers to use and validate new approach methodologies, or NAMS, as part of a broader effort to move away from animal testing.
Cancer Policy
Four out of five people returning to the ACA Marketplace say their healthcare costs are “higher,” compared to last year, according to a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation in mid-February and early March. More than half of respondents reported these costs (premiums, deductibles, co-pays, or coinsurance) were “a lot higher.”
In Brief
Roy S. Herbst was named director of Dartmouth Cancer Center.
In Brief
Lisa G. Roth was named director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone and Perlmutter Cancer Center. Roth is a pediatric oncologist, physician-scientist, and lymphoma survivor.
In Brief
Monica L. Baskin was named interim director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In Brief
Alice Lin Pomponio was named senior vice president of corporate development and strategic partnerships at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
Clinical Roundup
Pfizer announced positive topline results from the phase III TALAPRO-3 study of Talzenna (talazoparib), an oral poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor, in combination with Xtandi (enzalutamide), an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor, in people with homologous recombination repair gene-mutated metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, also known as metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
Clinical Roundup
Patients with leptomeningeal metastasis have historically had few treatment options. Now, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found a combination of targeted therapies, tucatinib and trastuzumab, plus the chemotherapy drug, capecitabine, may improve symptoms and extend survival in some breast cancer patients with LM.
Clinical Roundup
Findings from a pilot study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers suggest that chemotherapy can be safely delivered in patients’ homes.
Clinical Roundup
VCU Massey researchers lead international effort to produce multi-omic digital atlas of oral tissues
Researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center led an international effort to create a multi-omic atlas of oral tissues with the aim of advancing the understanding of the immunoregulatory nature of human oral tissues. Recent analyses using data from this atlas suggest that fibroblasts may serve as the core regulators of structural immunity in the mouth.
Clinical Roundup
A team of researchers engineered a new class of “turbocharged” T cells that may be stronger, longer-lasting, and more precise at killing prostate cancer cells. The approach represents a step toward developing safer, more effective T-cell therapies for prostate cancer and could potentially be adapted to treat a wide range of other tumors.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found that simultaneously blocking two key “don’t eat me” signals found in cancer cells heightens the immune response and sensitizes tumors to immunotherapy in models of glioblastoma, highlighting a promising strategy.
Clinical Roundup
By including AI algorithms as part of routine comprehensive molecular profiling, clinicians can uncover clinically significant misdiagnoses in cases labeled as lung squamous cell carcinoma, influencing treatment decisions and patient outcomes, according to a multi-institutional study.
Drugs & Targets
FDA granted approval of Opdivo (nivolumab) in combination with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with previously untreated Stage 3 or 4 classical Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved relacorilant (Lifyorli), a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, in combination with nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of adults with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who have received one to three prior systemic treatment regimens, at least one of which included bevacizumab.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved a label update that will accelerate thaw time for Adstiladrin (nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg), gene therapy for adults with high-risk, BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, enabling an accelerated water-bath thawing method, completed in about 25 minutes, to enhance efficient clinical preparation for healthcare teams.
Podcast
Last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter was dominated by one event: the meeting of the National Cancer Advisory Board, the group of experts which advises and assists the NCI director on the activities of the National Cancer Program.
NCI
A public-private effort, spearheaded by NCI Director Anthony Letai, and led by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, is working to speed up the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines.
NCI
The National Cancer Advisory Board has established an ad hoc working group that will assess cancer centers as part of the designation process. The decision was approved unanimously with one abstention at the NCAB meeting March 17.
NCI
NCI Director Anthony Letai appeared before the National Cancer Advisory Board Committee March 17 to maneuver through thorny topics while reiterating his message of reassurance: Stability. Stability. Stability.
Sponsored
Colorectal cancer is no longer a disease confined to older adults.
Cancer Policy
Judge Brian E. Murphy, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, temporarily blocked a series of recent changes to the CDC vaccine schedule.
Cancer Policy
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a series of amendments to weaken regulations on emissions of ethylene oxide, a gas that is primarily used to sterilize medical devices and equipment.
Cancer Policy
FDA has created a new adverse event reporting system that will consolidate several systems it has for reporting different types of adverse events.
Cancer Policy
The H–1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act—introduced by Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY)—would exempt physicians and health care workers from a recently imposed $100,000 fee now required to obtain an H-1B visa, which allows foreign nationals in “specialty occupations” to live and work in the U.S. The fee was previously $5,000 to $10,000.
In Brief
Robert A. Winn was named director of Fox Chase Cancer Center. His appointment at Fox Chase will become effective later this summer.
In Brief
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research have elected Robert H. Vonderheide as the AACR President-Elect for 2026-2027.
In Brief
The members of AACR have elected five individuals to serve on the AACR Board of Directors for the 2026-2029 term:
In Brief
Fred Hutch has appointed Mazyar Shadman and Vyshak Alva Venur as deputy chief medical officers, effective April 1.
In Brief
The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center has named Kathleen N. Moore as deputy director and director of Phase I Oncology Trials.
In Brief
Washington Research Foundation has awarded a $7 million grant to the University of Washington Institute for Protein Design to accelerate the development of new catalytic enzymes and protein-based technologies with applications across medicine, technology, and sustainability.
In Brief
The University of Kansas Cancer Center and its outreach network, the Masonic Cancer Alliance, announced a new effort to provide cancer screening throughout the cancer center’s catchment area. Known as HOPE on Wheels: Health, Outreach, Prevention, and Education, a 42-foot bus will help ensure that geography isn’t a barrier to detecting cancers earlier.
Funding Opportunities
Applications are now being accepted for the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer fellowship opportunities. This year, SITC is offering two fellowships totaling $150,000 in funding.
Clinical Roundup
Clinical, real-world data reaffirming the long-term effectiveness of Gardasil 9 (Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant) and Gardasil (Human Papillomavirus 4-valent Vaccine, Recombinant) against certain HPV-related cancers and diseases will be presented at the EUROGIN International Multidisciplinary HPV Congress 2026 in Vienna, Austria, March 18-21.
Clinical Roundup
Positive topline results have come out of the randomized phase II FOURLIGHT-1 study evaluating atirmociclib in combination with fulvestrant, versus fulvestrant or everolimus plus exemestane, in people with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer who had received prior cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor-based treatment.
Clinical Roundup
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a promising way to deliver treatment directly to cholangiocarcinoma tumors, a rare and aggressive bile duct cancer with limited treatment options, using milk-derived nanoparticles that act like guided delivery vehicles. The study points to a potential targeted genetic therapy designed to attack cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.
Clinical Roundup
A computational tool infers changes occurring at the ends of the chromosomes housing our DNA, which it does so by detecting structural alterations in cells and tissues captured in images taken of routine medical biopsies, according to a study by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.
Clinical Roundup
In a single experiment, scientists can decipher the entire genomes of many patient samples, animal models, or cultured cells. To fully realize the potential to study biology at this scale, researchers must be equipped to analyze the titanic troves of data generated by these new methods.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers at Inocras, a bioinformatics-led precision health company, and the Broad Institute jointly announced the upcoming release of key insights from whole-genome analysis of over 8,000 public cancer whole genomes. This analysis aims to deliver one of the largest genome-wide landscapes of somatic mutations across human pan-cancers.
Drugs & Targets
NeoGenomics announced the PanTracer LBx test has received coverage from CMS’ Molecular Diagnostics Services Program under Local Coverage Determination - MolDX: Plasma-Based Genomic Profiling in Solid Tumors.
Drugs & Targets
Sartorius is launching an integrated system for the production and quality control of autologous cell therapies. The modular Eveo Cell Therapy Platform is designed to address structural manufacturing bottlenecks that limit scalability and patient access to transformative treatments such as CAR T therapies.
Drugs & Targets
The START Center for Cancer Research, a community-based network of clinical trial sites specializing in early-phase oncology trials, announced a strategic partnership with Trialing, a platform dedicated to connecting physicians and patients to clinical trials, helping physicians rapidly identify, evaluate, and refer patients to appropriate studies.
Podcast
FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Vinay Prasad is set to leave the agency for a second time amid controversy.
Free
Five years ago, Tyler Jacks took on a new challenge, becoming president of Break Through Cancer, a foundation that has pledged to spend at least $500 million to support research projects across top tier cancer centers.
Regulatory News
Amid deepening controversy, Vinay Prasad, FDA’s top clinician and scientist, and director of its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, will be leaving the agency.
Regulatory News
On Jan. 9, Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals received a “complete response letter” from FDA: its application for the T-cell therapy tabelecleucel (Ebvallo) was getting a hard No.
Guest Editorial
The cancer research community has a reason to celebrate. For the first time, 70% of people are living at least five years beyond their cancer diagnosis. And, as importantly, cancer death rates have been dropping relentlessly—by more than a third since 1991.
Free
Poisoning one’s political rivals has a long history. In 399 B.C., an Athenian court found Socrates guilty of “impiety and the corruption of youth” and ordered him to drink a fatal dose of hemlock.
Cancer Policy
Yet another U.S. Preventative Services Task Force meeting is postponed—the third missed meeting since the start of the second Trump administration.
Cancer Policy
FDA has approved leucovorin calcium tablets (Wellcovorin), expanding its use for the treatment of cerebral folate deficiency in adult and pediatric patients.
In Brief
The Pezcoller Foundation American Association for Cancer Research International Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research will be presented to Douglas R. Lowy and John T. Schiller, both fellows of the AACR Academy, during the AACR Annual Meeting 2026.
In Brief
Vivek Subbiah has been appointed as the inaugural associate director for drug development and precision oncology at the Stanford Cancer Institute, with a planned start date in spring 2026.
In Brief
Lonny Yarmus was appointed head of the Division of Subspecialty Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A physician-scientist and internationally recognized leader in interventional pulmonology and procedural innovation, Yarmus is widely known for his expertise in minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutics, outcomes research, and multidisciplinary program development.
In Brief
Mass General Brigham has received a $50 million gift for gene and cell therapy research. The gift, made by anonymous donors, will advance clinical research by experts at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute and throughout the system, to deliver treatments for patients with cancer and other diseases.
In Brief
GRAIL has announced that Bob Ragusa will retire as CEO, effective June 1.
In Brief
The multinational Hepatitis B and HIV Cure Consortium, colloquially known as the BICC, was recently established through the awarding of a five-year, $24 million grant from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
In Brief
The University of Illinois Cancer Center has awarded two 2026 Pilot Project Program Awards to pairs of Cancer Center members: Bin He and VK Gadi; and Ece Mutlu and Constance Jeffery.
In Brief
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, an agency within HHS, announced the launch of its Delphi program, an initiative to advance low-cost biosensors that can monitor hormones, inflammatory markers, and other important biochemical signals.
Clinical Roundup
Follicular lymphoma, a common and usually slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has long been deemed incurable: Though the disease responds well to initial treatment, oncologists tell patients to expect it to come back. The results from a 15-year follow-up analysis of clinical trial patients with follicular lymphoma could upend that prediction.
Clinical Roundup
The phase III persevERA Breast Cancer study, evaluating investigational giredestrant in combination with palbociclib for people with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, did not meet its primary objective of a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival in the intent-to-treat population versus letrozole plus palbociclib, but a numerical improvement was observed.
Clinical Roundup
Oral mezigdomide in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival versus carfilzomib and dexamethasone alone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to positive interim phase III results from the SUCCESSOR-2 study.
Clinical Roundup
A team of researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified a new pathway through which mutations in the tumor suppressor p53 gene—found very frequently in human tumors—hijack DNA replication in cancer cells.
Clinical Roundup
Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have developed a simplified version of biodegradable nanoparticles that can “educate” the immune system to find and destroy disease-causing cells throughout the body.
Clinical Roundup
Medically supervised, individualized nutrition therapy—long proven effective in reversing metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity—shows promise in extending survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer when used alongside chemotherapy, according to data from a randomized, controlled phase II clinical trial.
Clinical Roundup
New research from a University of Cincinnati Cancer Center study found external beam radiation therapy is safe to administer to patients with liver cancer even after they undergo a targeted internal radiation therapy called Y90.
Clinical Roundup
Citius Oncology announced positive topline safety and efficacy results from an investigator‑initiated phase I trial evaluating Lymphir (E7777, denileukin diftitox‑cxdl) administered prior to commercial CD19‑directed CAR T therapy in patients with high‑risk relapsed or refractory diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma.
Clinical Roundup
Citius Oncology announced positive topline results from a completed investigator‑initiated phase I clinical trial conducted by University of Pittsburgh investigators. This study evaluated the direct T-regulatory cell depletion activity of Lymphir (denileukin diftitox‑cxdl) in combination with the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with recurrent or refractory gynecologic cancers, including ovarian and endometrial malignancies.
Clinical Roundup
Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists reached a crucial milestone in blocking Epstein-Barr virus, a pathogen estimated to infect 95% of the global population that is linked to multiple types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic health conditions.
Clinical Roundup
A growing number of U.S. adults consider electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) more harmful than conventional cigarettes, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers show in a study.
Drugs & Targets
FDA has approved Tecvayli (teclistamab-cqyv) plus Darzalez Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent.
Drugs & Targets
Ipsen announced that it is voluntarily withdrawing Tazverik (tazemetostat) in all indications from all Ipsen markets. Ipsen’s decision to withdraw is based on emerging data from the ongoing phase Ib/III SYMPHONY-1 trial (evaluating tazemetostat in combination with lenalidomide plus rituximab vs R2 in follicular lymphoma).
Podcast
One result, two reactions: GRAIL’s Hall and NCI’s Castle react to negative NHS-Galleri trial outcome
On Feb. 19, GRAIL Inc. announced that its pivotal NHS-Galleri trial failed to meet its primary endpoint of reduction in advanced stage cancers. The media and the market reacted as one would expect: GRAIL’s stock price halved the day after the announcement and at least three law firms said that they are conducting investigations in preparation for filing investor suits.
News Analysis
If you listen to GRAIL executives discuss the results of the long-awaited trial of the company’s multicancer detection test, you might be led to conclude that the company’s pivotal NHS-Galleri study had an overwhelmingly positive result.
Conversation with The Cancer Letter
Undeterred by the negative topline result of its pivotal trial of Galleri, a multicancer detection test, the test’s sponsor, GRAIL, said it’s forging ahead with its plan to get FDA approval and reimbursement from CMS and private insurers.
Conversation with The Cancer Letter
Philip E. Castle, director of the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention, said he was disappointed to hear that GRAIL’s NHS-Galleri trial did not meet its primary endpoint of reduction in late-stage cancers.
Obituary
Erin Geddis Cummings , advocate and founder of Hodgkin’s International, died on Feb. 24, at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, surrounded by her family. She was 68.
Sponsored
Vasan Yegnasubramanian, MD, PhD, is the director of Precision inHealth Medicine at Johns Hopkins. He spoke with Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center communications staff about how AI is transforming cancer research and treatment. The transcript of the conversation follows.
Cancer Policy
Mount Sinai hospital has formed a committee to investigate the ties between Jeffrey Epstein and Eva Dubin a Swedish physician and philanthropist who founded the Dubin Breast Center at the Tisch Cancer Institute whose name is featured prominently in the Epstein files.
Cancer Policy
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced the FIRE Cancer Act on Feb. 27. The piece of legislation seeks to increase grant dollars available to local fire departments, specifically earmarked for cancer prevention, “including providing multi-cancer early detection testing or other forms of preventative tests.”
In Brief
W. Kimryn Rathmell, CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, has also been named director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in place of former Director Raphael E. Pollock, who has stepped down from the position he had held since November 2017 to become OSUCCC director emeritus.
In Brief
Bob Gray has retired from his role as Group Statistician, Therapeutics, for the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, as of Feb. 28.
In Brief
Eric Gardner, Betty Kim, Rodrigo Romero, and Hojong Yoon were appointed members of the James P. Allison Institute at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
In Brief
Fred Hutch Cancer Center announced the recipients of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which honors the exceptional achievements of graduate students in the biological sciences.
In Brief
M. Saiful Huq, director of medical physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, has been awarded the Inaugural Gold Medal of the Asia and Middle East Society of Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology.
In Brief
Cancer Grand Challenges awards five global teams of scientists up to $25 million each to take on questions that could open entirely new routes for cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
In Brief
Penn Medicine received a $10 million gift from Cynthia King, the late Jeffery King, and Jason and Julie Borrelli to establish the King Center for Lynch Syndrome, at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
In Brief
The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center’s Epidemiology Division was the victim of a cyberattack that possibly exposed records containing Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, mostly from Hawaiʻi DL records collected in 2000 from the State Department of Transportation (when identifiers were usually SSNs) and City and County of Honolulu voter registration records collected in 1998 (also when identifiers were usually SSNs).
Clinical Roundup
Colorectal cancer rates in the U.S. are moving in two very different directions, according to a report released from the American Cancer Society.
Clinical Roundup
A study led by UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators suggests that adding hormone therapy to post-operative radiotherapy may provide little survival benefit for most men with prostate cancer, especially for those with very low PSA levels before treatment.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Johns Hopkins University have created a novel database structure that allows investigators anywhere to more easily study multiple types of cancer data—including laboratory results, genetic sequencing and imaging data—in one setting.
