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Latest Stories
Free
Twenty-five years ago, the attack on the World Trade Center engulfed Ground Zero in a shroud of smoke, leaving Lower Manhattan covered in toxic dust for months.
Clinical
For years, personalized cancer vaccines have promised to make a radical idea possible—a treatment designed not just for a particular type of cancer, but for the distinctive mutations in a patient’s tumor.
Change swept through executive offices at cancer centers in recent weeks, shifting top leadership at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Duke Cancer Institute, and the University of Florida.
Russian general who was accused by Ukraine’s security services of carrying out a bombing of a pediatric cancer hospital in Kyiv two years ago was shot by an unknown assassin deep inside Russia, becoming the latest in a series of Russia’s commanders to be killed or wounded in retribution for war crimes.
Sponsored
As Kentucky’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has a responsibility that extends far beyond its home in central Kentucky.
Cancer Policy
As part of a sweep of leadership changes at FDA, Heidi Overton, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, has been nominated to the role of FDA commissioner.
Cancer Policy
FDA cleared the JUUL2 e-cigarette in tobacco and menthol flavors. This is the second vaping device the agency has authorized that incorporates age-gating technology—features intended to block access to minors and to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of never-smokers at a vulnerable age.
Cancer Policy
The Pentagon has temporarily rescinded a recently published guidance that would require all military personnel aged 30 and over to receive testosterone level testing to check for deficiencies.
In Brief
Samuel Kaffenberger was named deputy director for cancer clinical services at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.
In Brief
After taking the job of director of Dartmouth Cancer Center, Roy S. Herbst has enhanced the roles of the deputy director and section chief of hematology and medical oncology.
In Brief
Adam Bacik was appointed CEO of the Medical University of South Carolina’s new comprehensive cancer hospital in Charleston.
In Brief
After 46 years, Max S. Wicha, founding director of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, will retire from the University of Michigan and move to emeritus status.
In Brief
The University of Texas Medical Branch appointed Raghu Kalluri as senior vice president, executive director of the UTMB Cancer Center, and chief scientific officer, effective Sept. 1.
In Brief
Amir Iravani, a nuclear medicine physician-scientist specializing in molecular imaging and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies for patients with cancer, has joined UCLA Health where he will serve as director of the Theranostics Program and vice chair of clinical research in the department of nuclear medicine and theranostics.
In Brief
Andrew Hsieh, who serves as the associate director of Fred Hutch’s Human Biology Division, has been named the inaugural holder of the Larry and Virginia Gordon Endowed Chair in Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research.
In Brief
Lawrence Fong was appointed senior vice president and director of Fred Hutch’s Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, effective Dec. 1.
In Brief
Weizhou Zhang, who is leading research on cancer immunotherapeutics and basic mechanisms of cancer immunology, was named co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Institute’s Immuno-Oncology and Microenvironment research program.
In Brief
Ramon Sun, a biochemist and molecular biologist specializing in metabolism and spatial biology, has been named co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Institute’s Mechanisms of Oncogenesis research program.
In Brief
Mina Sedrak, director of the UCLA Center for Cancer and Aging and co-director of Cancer Control and Survivorship Research at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from NIH to develop strategies to improve physical recovery and reduce frailty in older adults following hematopoietic cell transplantation, commonly known as a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
In Brief
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy announced its 2026 class of Early Career Researcher awardees.
In Brief
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has announced the 2026 class of Andrew Sabin Family Fellows, marking 102 fellows funded through this philanthropic investment that provides support for emerging scientists and clinicians making discoveries in cancer research and patient care.
In Brief
With a $37 million investment from the Starr Foundation, Brown University and Brown University Health will launch a partnership to accelerate breakthroughs in aging research, clinical trials, and patient treatments.
In Brief
Having established the effectiveness of her nanoparticle drug-delivery system for cancer immunotherapy, University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher Prabhani Atukorale, has been awarded $2.5 million from NIH to broaden the scope of her vaccine research to include treating those with active cancer.
In Brief
Moffitt Cancer Center and Speros have launched the Moffitt Radiopharmaceutical Program, an interdisciplinary initiative that accelerates radiopharmaceutical research, development, clinical translation and manufacturing at Speros and positions the 775-acre life sciences campus to be the leading hub for radiopharmaceutical innovation in the Southeast.
In Brief
Philanthropist and cancer survivor Michael Milken will receive the inaugural March Forward Award at Cancer Nation’s 40th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 13, in Washington, DC.
Clinical Roundup
An updated clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of radiation therapy to treat adult patients with pancreatic cancer.
Clinical Roundup
Alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in the United States doubled between 1990 and 2023, according to a new study led by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Clinical Roundup
The REZILIENT3 trial, a global phase III clinical trial evaluating the combination of zipalertinib and platinum-based chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone in the first-line treatment of adult patients with previously untreated, locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer harboring epidermal growth factor receptor exon 20 insertion mutations, met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival at a planned interim analysis.
Clinical Roundup
When added to standard chemotherapy, a clinical version of the dietary supplement L-glutamine improved survival in an early-phase trial of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The study, led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators, was published in Nature Cancer.
Clinical Roundup
The phase II NEST trial evaluating neoadjuvant botensilimab, a multifunctional, Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 antibody, and balstilimab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, showed no colorectal cancer recurrences in patients with resectable colon cancer.
Clinical Roundup
Blood cancer patients who cannot find a closely matched stem cell donor may have more transplant options than previously thought.
Clinical Roundup
A new form of proton therapy designed to deliver cancer-killing radiation therapy in less than a second, through fewer total sessions, with potentially less risk of damaging side effects, is now being tested in a phase I clinical trial at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
Clinical Roundup
A multidisciplinary team co-led by Amit Singal, chief of hepatology and director of the Liver Tumor Program in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has developed new treatment recommendations for liver cancer that incorporate the latest research and an expanding range of therapeutic options.
Drugs & Targets
FDA granted accelerated approval to iberdomide (Zenbexus) in combination with daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone for adults with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent.
Drugs & Targets
FDA granted accelerated approval to Etcamah (camizestrant) in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (abemaciclib, palbociclib, or ribociclib) for the treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer upon detection of estrogen receptor-1 mutation during aromatase inhibitor and CDK 4/6 inhibitor therapy, based on an FDA-authorized test.
Drugs & Targets
FDA granted accelerated approval to sevabertinib (Hyrnuo), a kinase inhibitor, for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have HER2 (ERBB2) tyrosine kinase domain activating mutations, as detected by an FDA-authorized test.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved Mimrylo (rusfertide), a new treatment for adults with polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder that causes the body to make too many red blood cells. The excess cells can thicken the blood and increase the risk of cardiovascular issues, such as blood clots, stroke and heart attack.
Drugs & Targets
The European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who have not received prior systemic therapy for metastatic disease and whose tumors express PD-L1 with a combined positive score.
Trodelvy plus Keytruda is the first and only antibody-drug conjugate plus immunotherapy combination to be approved in first-line metastatic TNBC in the European Union’s 27 member states, as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
This decision follows the recent EC approval of Trodelvy as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC who have not received prior systemic therapy for metastatic disease and are not candidates for PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. Together, these approvals establish Trodelvy as the backbone therapy for patients with first-line metastatic TNBC across PD-L1 status in Europe. This decision provides a new treatment option for the most aggressive form of breast cancer at the first sign of metastatic disease.
“The approval of Trodelvy plus Keytruda represents a meaningful advance in the treatment of patients with PD-L1-positive metastatic TNBC,” Evandro de Azambuja, head of the medical support team at Jules Bordet Institute and investigator of the ASCENT-04 study, said in a statement. “This regimen helps redefine a standard of care by offering a novel first-line treatment option for a metastatic patient population with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer.”
The approval is based on data from the phase III ASCENT-04 /KEYNOTE-D19 study which demonstrated a highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival of Trodelvy plus Keytruda versus the combination of standard of care chemotherapy plus Keytruda as a first-line treatment. In ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19, Trodelvy demonstrated a 35% reduced risk of disease progression or death in patients with PD-L1-positive metastatic TNBC.
Metastatic TNBC has historically been difficult to treat, with a poor prognosis and an urgent need for more effective first-line options. With today’s approval, Trodelvy is now positioned to address this need across the full spectrum of the disease, building on its extensive clinical legacy in later lines of therapy and its established safety and efficacy profile in more than 75,000 patients treated globally.
NCI Trials
The National Cancer Institute approved the following clinical research studies last month.
Podcast
Last month, FDA approved the RAS inhibitor, daraxonrasib, sponsored by Revolution Medicines Inc. and also known as Rasonque, for patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic therapy or are not candidates for multiagent systemic therapy.
Podcast
Brian Wolpin celebrates FDA approval of daraxonrasib in pancreatic cancer as the future of the field
On Aug. 26, FDA approved the RAS inhibitor, daraxonrasib, sponsored by Revolution Medicines Inc. and also known as Rasonque, for patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic therapy or are not candidates for multiagent systemic therapy.
Podcast
On July 21, President Donald Trump announced his latest set of sweeping tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry: a 200% levy on imported generic drugs by the year 2029.
Podcast
In last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter, Raja Flores wrote a guest editorial explaining how he, with his expertise in thoracic surgery, took issue with a nuance in a recent Keytruda commercial.
Guest Editorial
My high school experience revolved around constantly worrying about my four younger siblings and mom amidst our normal condition—instability.
Guest Editorial
In November 2022, I was 43 years old, healthy, active, and the founding CEO of the publicly traded tech company GitLab.
Free
Physician-scientists by day, a funk-loving musical troupe by night. You may have seen The CheckPoints—a 13 member cover band with a three-piece brass section and Jim Allison on harmonica—movin’, groovin’, and gettin’ down as a mainstay closing act at ASCO, AACR, or the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer annual meetings.
Guest Editorial
One of the great pleasures of summer is having more time to read.
Guest Editorial
At the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, results from the phase III HARMONi-6 trial were presented at the plenary session and published simultaneously in The Lancet. The HARMONi-6 trial tested a novel bispecific antibody that engages PD-1 and VEGF (ivonescimab), given with platinum-doublet chemotherapy to patients with previously untreated advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer.
Guest Editorial
In 2026, more than 900 million people are estimated to be regularly using generative artificial intelligence—computer systems capable of creating human-like text, images, audio, video, and other original content. AI is becoming integrated into nearly every aspect of daily life. Health care is no exception.
Sponsored
For generations, geography has been one of the biggest barriers to specialized surgical care. Advances in robotic surgery, telecommunications and cybersecurity may soon make distance far less relevant.
Free
President Trump earlier this week issued an executive order that would drastically change the childhood immunization schedule—limiting recommendations, spacing out shots, and splitting the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into single-disease injections.
Free
The U.S. Senate has passed a stopgap spending bill that, in addition to avoiding a government shutdown at the end of September, would preclude the White House Office of Management and Budget from finalizing a proposal that seeks to fundamentally redraw the ground rules for all federally funded research (The Cancer Letter, Aug. 7, 2026).
Free
A national poll commissioned by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network found that likely 2026 voters from both parties overwhelmingly support people having access to cancer screening and care, as well as support for the federal government continuing to invest in cancer research.
In Brief
NRG Oncology announced changes in leadership across multiple committees.
In Brief
Michelle Ozbun was appointed associate director for basic research of the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In Brief
Stand Up To Cancer announced the recipients of the SU2C Nina Nicolai Pancreatic Cancer Innovation in Collaboration Award.
In Brief
Researchers at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California have received a five-year grant of up to $3.2 million from NIH to further explore the role of thymulin in inflammaging and cancer, as well as its therapeutic potential.
In Brief
Sethera Therapeutics and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center have been awarded funding through the Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award, administered by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.
In Brief
Two Fred Hutch Cancer Center researchers have recently been awarded multi-year research grants from the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Free
Traditional pathological features used to classify aggressive prostate cancer—such as high-grade disease, cancer extending outside the prostate and cancer involving the seminal vesicles—after surgery do not predict who will benefit more from adding hormone therapy to postoperative radiation, according to a study led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Free
As focal therapy gains popularity as a less invasive treatment option for some men with prostate cancer, a national study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that some men may be receiving treatment that is either unnecessary or not aggressive enough for their cancer.
Free
Liver cancer experts at 17 cancer centers, part of a consortium of North American experts called HCC-LIVE, have compiled a guidance on the best treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma in North America.
Free
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have developed a drug called CS18 that disrupts the ability of cancer cells to survive therapy.
Free
The SANRECO phase II trial of divesiran, a first-in-class siRNA, in 48 phlebotomy-dependent patients with polycythemia vera, met its primary endpoint and secondary endpoints. The 36-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled portion of the trial administered divesiran subcutaneously (6 mg/kg) every six weeks or every twelve weeks.
Free
FDA granted accelerated approval to iberdomide (Zenbexus) in combination with daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone for adults with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent.
Free
FDA announced a forthcoming hybrid meeting of the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee on Sept. 23 to discuss, make recommendations, and vote on information regarding the premarket approval application for the Galleri test sponsored by GRAIL, Inc.
Free
FDA approved Labcorp’s PGDx elio tissue complete CDx as a companion diagnostic to help identify patients with advanced melanoma with certain BRAF variants who may benefit from treatment with FDA-approved targeted therapies.
Podcast
Last week, FDA granted accelerated approval to Replimune Group Inc. for it’s biologic, RP1 (vusolimogene oderparepvec), following the FDA Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee’s 10:3 vote in support of the biologic in combination with nivolumab for the treatment of advanced melanoma in patients who have progressed on prior anti-PD-1 therapy.
The Directors
New pressures notwithstanding, being a cancer center director is still a dream job, two of the nation’s newest cancer center directors said.
Regulatory News
FDA has granted an accelerated approval to RP1 (vusolimogene oderparepvec) following the agency’s Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee’s 10:3 vote in support of the biologic in combination with nivolumab for the treatment of advanced melanoma in patients who have progressed on prior anti-PD-1 therapy.
U.S. News & World Report has been publishing the best cancer hospitals rankings for 37 years, but this year is different.
Guest Editorial
A patient recently asked me a question I suspect many thoracic surgeons will soon be hearing.
Sponsored
When it comes to harnessing artificial intelligence for cancer breakthroughs, Johns Hopkins researchers Alex Szalay, PhD, and Janis Taube, MD, MSc, believe the future begins with data—lots of it.
Cancer Policy
The Senate has released its version of a 2027 continuing resolution that would fund the U.S. government through Dec. 11.
Cancer Policy
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will move forward with its definition of “medically frail” that cancer patients and survivors on Medicaid will need to meet in order to earn an exemption from new work requirements.
Cancer Policy
After returning to the drawing board, the Health Resources and Services Administration has announced a second iteration of the 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program, after it withdrew the original pilot earlier this year.
Cancer Policy
After a decade of litigation, Johnson and Johsnon has agreed to a settlement deal to resolve the some 69,000 lawsuits alleging the company’s talc-based baby powder caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
In Brief
The Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute announced the recipients of the 2026 Stephenson Global Scholar Grants.
In Brief
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer announced the recipients of its 2026 Annual Awards, recognizing individuals whose exceptional leadership, scientific achievements and service have helped advance the field of cancer immunotherapy.
In Brief
Alastair Thompson was named director of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research.
In Brief
The Wistar Institute announced the appointment of Guangfeng Zhou as assistant professor in the Center for Advanced Therapeutics.
In Brief
The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer has introduced a rural accreditation category to expand access to high-quality cancer care in rural communities, where long travel times and specialist shortages often limit care.
In Brief
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY, and Burjeel Medical City, Abu Dhabi, are collaborating to advance thoracic surgical care for patients served by Burjeel Medical City.
In Brief
NYU Langone Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have formed a strategic collaboration to co-develop Solavia Decision Suite, an oncology support platform designed to improve cancer care for patients and clinicians.
In Brief
Cristina Puig-Saus, an associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and surgical oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and an investigator at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and her research team have received a five-year, $3.9 million grant from NCI to develop drug-based strategies that could enhance cancer immunotherapy for patients with melanoma and potentially other types of cancer.
In Brief
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Department of Pathology, in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has received renewed funding for the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Institutional Research Training Grant from the NCI, providing resources for pathology residents, clinical fellows, and PhD-trained scientists pursuing research careers in cancer pathology.
Clinical Roundup
The phase III XPORT-EC-042 trial, evaluating selinexor as a maintenance-only therapy compared to placebo in adult patients with TP53 wild-type advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, did not meet its primary endpoint of progression free survival.
Clinical Roundup
Women who test negative for BRCA gene mutations may still be at greater risk of developing breast cancer than the general population, according to a study led by investigators at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the University of Toronto, and the University of Sydney.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center validated an artificial intelligence-powered blood test that accurately detected liver cancer in people from two geographically and biologically distinct populations and also uncovered the underlying biological signals that make the test effective.
Clinical Roundup
Mesothelioma cells have a survival trick. When researchers exposed them to an experimental drug that targeted one of the cancer’s main growth switches, the cells didn’t die. Instead, they found a way around the drug’s effect.
Clinical Roundup
An open resource of patient-derived cancer models has enabled researchers to create the first large-scale map of the genes that cancers rely on to survive, offering new routes for research into better and less toxic treatments for patients.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, Emory University School of Medicine, and the international Southwest Oncology Group Cancer Research Network have identified a blood biomarker that may help thousands of women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer avoid unnecessary chemotherapy.
Clinical Roundup
While Black and Hispanic families are enthusiastic about research participation, other provider- and systems-focused factors may influence their involvement in pediatric oncology clinical trials, according to a study led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Dana-Farber/Mass General.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved Pluvicto (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) in combination with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor for patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive metastatic androgen pathway modulation-naive/sensitive prostate cancer, commonly known as metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
NCI Trials
The National Cancer Institute approved the following clinical research studies last month.
Podcast
In last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter, the cover story featured coverage of Kalshi, an online prediction market exchange, launching a pilot program in which one can place bets on both outcomes of trials and FDA decisions.
News Analysis
Prediction market exchanges have allowed the public to bet on the ousting of Nicolás Maduro, the outcome of the Spain v. Argentina World Cup final, and whether Trump will use the word “hippopotamus” in the month of July.
White House
In his latest set of sweeping tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry, President Donald Trump has announced a 200% levy on imported generic drugs by the year 2029.
Trials & Tribulations
The recent retraction of the LungTIME-C01 randomized trial evaluating chrono-modulated immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer has ignited a vigorous debate regarding the promise of cancer chronotherapy.
Free
If a Mount Rushmore of Epidemiology were to exist, Joseph F. Fraumeni Jr. would be etched into the face of the mountain, former NCI Director Ned Sharpless once told Stephen J. Chanock.
