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Latest Stories
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.
Cancer Policy
FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence has published three final guidance documents intended to broaden eligibility criteria for participation in clinical trials of oncology drugs.
Cancer Policy
The Trump Administration has released a new United States Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research, a framework that prohibits federally supported dangerous gain-of-function research while establishing stronger oversight for life sciences research that could pose significant risks to public health, biosecurity, or national security.
Cancer Policy
In a new report, the World Health Organization called for urgent action to address cancer, projecting that new cases will rise to nearly 35 million by 2050.
In Brief
Monica L. Baskin will serve as the next director of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, pending VCU Board of Visitors approval in September.
In Brief
Pamela Munster will join the Stanford Cancer Institute as the inaugural associate director for early detection and interception research on Aug. 1.
In Brief
Kate Markey, an assistant professor at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and UW Medicine, has recently been named the next holder of the Innovators Network Endowed Chair.
In Brief
The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology recently elected five officers to ASTRO’s board of directors.
In Brief
Curebound has announced three new key leaders: Mary Meyer as chief advancement officer, Scotty Cadet as chief scientific officer and vice president of research, and Leena Gupta as chief financial officer.
In Brief
UW Health officially began offering proton therapy at Eastpark Medical Center.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers have found that a combination of enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab helps patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer live longer while reducing the risk that their cancer will return after surgery, according to the results of an international phase III clinical trial.
Clinical Roundup
A team of investigators have uncovered a rare genetic mutation that enables some blood cancers to evade both approved Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors and newer BTK degraders.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers at the Salk Institute and Arc Institute and their collaborators unveiled the first body-wide single-cell atlas of two major epigenetic systems: three-dimensional genome folding and DNA methylation—precise patterns of methyl chemical groups tacked onto DNA—measured simultaneously in the same cells.
Clinical Roundup
Cancer immunotherapies have transformed treatment for many cancers, but pancreatic cancer remains especially difficult to treat.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have developed a chemical approach that could help make targeted cancer medicines safer and more precise.
Drugs & Targets
FDA’s Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee voted 10:3 in favor of Replimune’s Biologics License Application for RP1 (vusolimogene oderparepvec) in combination with nivolumab for the treatment of advanced melanoma.
Drugs & Targets
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted positive opinions, recommending the granting of marketing authorizations, for two biosimilar medicines in oncology: Ascend’s Denosumab Ascend and Qilu’s Nylaspeg.
Podcast
Last week, the Pentagon posted a video on X announcing they will be mandating testosterone screening for troops in the military aged 30 and above. If they test low, they will be offered voluntary testosterone replacement therapy.
Capitol Hill
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is planning a 33.4% cut to the reimbursement payments hospitals receive for all drugs acquired through the 340B program, according to a draft guidance published on July 7.
Regulatory News
In a video captioned “The High-T Department of War” and posted on X, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that he was authorizing a screening program for troops to ensure “you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best.”
Guest Editorial
The Susan Wojcicki Foundation, a new entrant into health philanthropy, is taking on a critical mission: Advancing research into new approaches to early detection of lung cancer—redefining risk, expanding awareness, and accelerating innovation.
Obituary
Gary R. Morrow, PhD, MS, a longstanding leader at the University of Rochester Medicine Wilmot Cancer Institute and a visionary credited with building the science around easing cancer symptoms and side effects such as nausea, died on July 7 of pneumonia complications after coping with prostate cancer for 16 years. He was 82.
Cancer Policy
China approved more novel oncology drugs than the United States from 2020 to 2025, according to a new analysis from Friends of Cancer Research published in Health Affairs Scholar.
Cancer Policy
HHS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services deferred more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota as these states submit additional documentation supporting certain Medicaid claims.
Cancer Policy
HHS has joined President Trump’s “Genesis Mission,” an artificial intelligence platform to harness federal scientific datasets. The purpose of the move is to use AI to further Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to end what he calls “the chronic disease crisis,” a focal point of his Make America Healthy Again strategy.
Cancer Policy
NBCC President Fran Visco authored the following open letter to the House Ways and Means Committee, criticizing the committee for failing to bring the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act, HR 2048, before the committee for markup.
In Brief
Patricio M. Polanco, a surgical oncologist specializing in hepato-pancreato-biliary malignancies and minimally invasive and robotic liver and pancreas surgery, has joined Atrium Health as division chief of surgical oncology, surgeon-in-chief for Atrium Health Levine Cancer in Charlotte, North Carolina and inaugural Richard L. White Jr. Endowed Professor of Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
In Brief
The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a top-rated cancer research charity, announced $11.2 million in funding awarded to 14 scientists through its 2026 Breaking Barriers in Cancer Research Award program.
In Brief
Marlon L. Wong, associate professor of clinical physical therapy at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, was awarded a grant from Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research. The three-year, $225,000 award will support research focused on improving quality of life for patients living with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and other long-term effects of cancer treatment.
In Brief
The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center has installed an MRI-linear accelerator.
Clinical Roundup
Two drug combinations, Tecvayli (teclistamab-cqyv) + Talvey (talquetamab-tgvs), a BCMA and GPRC5D dual antigen targeting regimen, and Talvey + pomalidomide (Pomalyst, sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb), demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival compared with investigator’s choice standard of care for adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who received 1 to 4 prior lines of therapy, including an anti-CD38 antibody and lenalidomide.
Clinical Roundup
Just days after a single treatment, patients experienced dramatic reductions in their tumors, with one patient achieving near-complete tumor regression, according to the results of a phase I study conducted by researchers at Mass General Cancer Center.
Clinical Roundup
Repeat testing is tied to earlier diagnoses and shaped by health-system outreach, according to a retrospective cohort study of nearly 500,000 adults.
Clinical Roundup
Scientists at The Wistar Institute have identified a mechanism behind the chemotherapy resistance that makes ovarian cancer so lethal. The researchers showed that chemotherapy triggers an inflammatory cascade that recruits immune cells into the tumor microenvironment, which ultimately function to protect the cancer from subsequent chemotherapy.
Clinical Roundup
Biological sex factors into cancer in ways you might not expect. In lung cancer, a form called squamous cell carcinoma disproportionately affects males while adenocarcinoma occurs more frequently in females.
Clinical Roundup
A study, which focused on the DNA switches of prostate cancer cells, reveals insights into enhancers that become active during cancer development and turn on genes linked to the disease. The study found that enhancers work cooperatively in 3D networks, rather than as isolated switches. Some enhancers function as “central hubs” that control many genes, while others play a supporting role. These findings could help with the development of targeted cancer therapies.
Clinical Roundup
Chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body—a phenomenon known as “inflammaging” because it increases with age—has been linked to many leading causes of illness and death, including cancer, heart disease, metabolic conditions, and neurodegenerative diseases. But scientists have struggled to understand what causes inflammaging or how to reverse its effects.
Clinical Roundup
Obesity can act as fuel for leukemia, according to a study led by Indiana University School of Medicine scientists. To help many patients facing aggressive blood cancers overcome this metabolic risk, researchers identified a potential new treatment strategy that combines popular weight-loss medications with anti-inflammatory drugs.
Clinical Roundup
Mysterious black skin lesions afflicting catfish in Lake Memphremagog and other New England and Canadian lakes are caused by a transmissible cancer—the first ever identified in a freshwater fish species, according to a study led by the University of Vermont and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved Jideytro (zidesamtinib), a ROS1 selective inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer who received a prior ROS1 kinase inhibitor.
Drugs & Targets
FDA accepted for Priority Review a supplemental New Drug Application for Talzenna (talazoparib), an oral poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor, in combination with Xtandi (enzalutamide), an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor, in men with homologous recombination repair gene-altered metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, also known as metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
Drugs & Targets
Alpha1H has received regulatory approval from the European Medicines Agency for its phase III clinical study of the therapy in bladder cancer. The approval represents a milestone for the clinical development of Alpha1H and provides a clear regulatory path toward a potential future marketing application in Europe.
Podcast
FDA has been taking a look at psychedelics as a potential treatment for psychiatric and substance abuse disorders, recently publishing a final guidance for drug sponsors conducting clinical trials of psychedelics, including psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA.
The Directors
The United States has a translation problem. Scientific breakthroughs in oncology are accelerating, but clinical trial infrastructure hasn’t kept pace.
Regulatory News
FDA has released a final guidance for drug sponsors conducting clinical trials of psychedelics, including psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA, for the treatment of psychiatric and substance abuse disorders.
Regulatory News
The Trump administration’s effort to give political appointees greater authority over federally-funded science is colliding with fierce objections from researchers, universities, medical organizations, and members of Congress.
Guest Editorial
In 1971, the National Cancer Act set the United States on a path to confront one of its most formidable public health challenges. More than five decades later, the progress is undeniable. The latest 2026 report from the American Cancer Society shows continued declines in overall cancer mortality and improvements in survival for many major cancer types. Recent advances in early detection, prevention, and treatment are saving lives.
Sponsored
The early years of a scientific career can be unforgiving.
Cancer Policy
At a recent House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Maintaining America’s Leadership in Biomedical Innovation: FDA’s Role in Advancing U.S. Drug Development,” lawmakers examined ways to increase efficiency and speed across early-stage clinical trial development.
Cancer Policy
The White House Office for Regulatory Affairs and Information released a series of documents detailing each agency’s regulatory priorities for the coming year.
Cancer Policy
A scheduled U.S. Preventive Services Task Force meeting has been canceled, marking the fourth consecutive cancellation by HHS.
In Brief
More than 4,700 participants, volunteers, donors, and supporters came together on July 11 to raise a record-breaking $12,010,204 for cancer research and patient support programs at Dartmouth Cancer Center.
In Brief
RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute welcomed its first patients at the Melchiorre Cancer Center July 13.
In Brief
Eight researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center will receive a total of $975,000 for research projects as part of Fred Hutch’s Evergreen Fund, an internal grant program designed to advance translational discoveries to a commercially viable stage.
In Brief
LSU Health New Orleans received a five-year, $3.1 million NIH grant to support pancreatic cancer research led by investigators in the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center.
In Brief
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute has released an updated version of the KCI Clinical Trials App on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Funding Opportunities
Early-career hematologists will have the opportunity to compete for a share of $250,000 in research funding at Binaytara’s 2026 National Summit on Hematologic Cancers to be held Oct. 16-17 at Music City Center in Nashville, TN.
Clinical Roundup
For patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma not undergoing an autologous stem cell transplant, indefinite lenalidomide maintenance has long been standard of care, despite limited evidence to guide the optimal duration of treatment.
Clinical Roundup
A simple weekly electronic symptom check-in with a care team significantly improves the quality of life for individuals undergoing treatment for advanced cancer, according to the results of a trial led by Alliance Foundation Trials.
Clinical Roundup
A smoking cessation treatment program delivered at community oncology care settings can nearly double quit rates for cancer patients who currently smoke, according to a study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Clinical Roundup
AZUR-1 trial, a single arm trial of Jemperli (dostarlimab) in patients with stage 2/3 mismatch repair deficient/microsatellite instability-high locally advanced rectal cancer, met its primary objective, showing a meaningful and sustained clinical complete response rate at 12 months.
Clinical Roundup
ARTEMIS-008, a phase III trial evaluating Ris-Rez (risvutatug rezetecan) in patients with advanced or relapsed small-cell lung cancer, met its primary endpoint of overall survival.
Clinical Roundup
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Skip Viragh Center for Pancreatic Cancer have reported that an experimental vaccine targeting mutant KRAS, one of the most common genetic drivers of pancreatic cancer, was safe and generated durable immune responses aimed at preventing the cancer in people at high risk.
Clinical Roundup
More than 50 million Americans live in counties without a radiation oncology practice site and millions more are at risk, according to a study conducted by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Maimonides Medical Center.
Clinical Roundup
An insurance-supported integrative oncology program resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in cancer-related symptoms like pain, stress, anxiety, depression, nausea, and fatigue, according to a study conducted by researchers at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv), a Nectin-4 directed antibody-drug conjugate, plus the PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) or Keytruda QLEX (pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph), as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment for adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, regardless of cisplatin eligibility.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approves Revtorpyk for HR+/HER2-, PIK3CA wild-type, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer
FDA approved Revtorpyk (gedatolisib) for the treatment of patients with hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer without a PIK3CA mutation detected following progression on or after treatment with at least one line of endocrine therapy in the metastatic setting. Revtorpyk is the only inhibitor of class I PI3K isoforms (α, β, δ, γ) and mTOR complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2 to receive FDA approval.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved Sarclisa Escena (isatuximab-irfc) for subcutaneous injection for multiple myeloma indications.
Drugs & Targets
FDA approved PD‑L1 IHC 28‑8 pharmDx assay as a companion diagnostic to identify patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, gastric, gastroesophageal junction, and esophageal adenocarcinoma who may be eligible for treatment with Opdivo (nivolumab) or Opdivo Qvantig (nivolumab and hyaluronidase‑nvhy), Bristol Myers Squibb’s PD‑1‑targeted immunotherapeutic agents. PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx is approved for exclusive use with the Agilent Autostainer Link 48 advanced staining solution.
Drugs & Targets
FDA issued a complete response letter to Elevar Therapeutics Inc. regarding its new drug application for the combination of rivoceranib, an oral TKI, and camrelizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, as a first-line systemic treatment option for unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.
Podcast
The cover story in last week’s issue of The Cancer Letter featured a retraction of a Nature Medicine paper demonstrating that giving patients immunochemotherapy before 3:00 p.m. led to massive improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival.
News Analysis
On Feb. 2, Nature Medicine published the results of a large, randomized, prospective clinical trial in the nascent and some say, fringe, field of chrono-oncology—the study of how natural biological rhythms might impact cancer outcomes.
Capitol Hill
The Trump administration has a fight on its hands as it pushes forward with a plan to exert greater political control over government funding of science.
Trials & Tribulations
When our hematological malignancy testing pilot project began in Eldoret, Kenya, there seemed to be a mismatch in relation to progress in healthcare. The region, like much of sub-Saharan Africa, had been focusing on combatting infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria—which was much-needed—yet cancer care was under-resourced.
Trials & Tribulations
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming biomedical research and healthcare. Large language models, foundation models, and AI agents are increasingly being deployed to assist with data interpretation, literature review, clinical decision support, and translational research.
Sponsored
In modern oncology, important insights from clinical trials often emerge years after initial publication. As new therapies extend survival and transition more patients into long-term remissions, clinicians and researchers are increasingly looking beyond initial response rates to understand durability, long-term safety, and even the possibility of a cure.
Cancer Policy
FDA will temporarily stop publicly releasing rejection letters as it evaluates potential response to a citizen petition issued by an unnamed pharmaceutical company challenging the legality of the practice.
Cancer Policy
Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have access to fewer cancer specialists, when compared to traditional Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
Cancer Policy
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a sweeping new Advance Care Planning quality measure (MUC2025-020) that would track end-of-life care discussions for patients 18 and older.
Cancer Policy
FDA has issued a proposed rule to require both foreign and domestic tobacco manufacturers to register their facilities and list their products with the agency. This closes a regulatory gap, holding overseas e-cigarette and tobacco makers to the same standards as U.S. companies.
In Brief
Former NCI director Norman “Ned” Sharpless had his portrait unveiled at a ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health on the main NIH campus in Bethesda.
In Brief
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced the teams for the Treating Hereditary Rare Diseases with In Vivo Precision Genetic Medicines (THRIVE) program—a critical investment toward bringing new treatments to patients faster and curing rare genetic pediatric diseases.
In Brief
The Cancer Research Institute announced its largest-ever annual grantmaking—93 awards totaling $37 million—as federal funding for cancer research remains uncertain.
Clinical Roundup
Zoldonrasib, an oral RAS(ON) G12D-selective covalent inhibitor, in combination with daraxonrasib showed 81% objective response rate compared to zoldonrasib in combination with standard of care chemotherapy in previously untreated patients with RAS G12D metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, according to results of two phase I/II study.
Clinical Roundup
Casdatifan, an oral investigational therapy designed to inhibit hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha, produced durable tumor responses with a manageable safety profile in patients with heavily pretreated clear cell renal cell carcinoma, according to the ARC-20 phase 1 clinical trial.
Clinical Roundup
Breast cancers diagnosed during the first three years after childbirth, particularly within the first year, may be biologically more aggressive than similar cancers in women who have never given birth, according to a study led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Clinical Roundup
For people at high risk of developing breast cancer, yearly mammograms may not be enough to detect tumors early. To make earlier diagnosis easier, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology team has developed portable detectors based on ultrasound, which could be used much more frequently. The team reports that they have improved the resolution of the images produced by their system, making it easier to spot potential tumors, as well as cysts and microcalcifications.
Clinical Roundup
A growing number of prostate cancer experts argue that calling the lowest-risk prostate cancer “cancer” does more harm than good. A UCLA-led study found removing the cancer label could dramatically reduce overtreatment and encourage more men to get screened, potentially leading to significantly fewer deaths from aggressive prostate cancer.
Clinical Roundup
A healthcare system designed to provide more consistent access to comprehensive multidisciplinary cancer care can help eliminate longstanding racial gaps in cancer survival in the United States, according to a study led by a UCLA-VA collaborative team.
Clinical Roundup
Research has uncovered persistent disparities in preventive cancer care across different sexual orientation and gender identity populations. The study, conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, found particular concern for cervical and breast cancer screening.
Clinical Roundup
A “tumor-on-a-chip” model is giving scientists a live look at how pancreatic cancer can recruit the body’s own immune cells to help tumors survive. The study reveals possible new targets to weaken the cancer’s defenses and make treatments work better.
Clinical Roundup
Cancer Research UK, Cytovation and the Norwegian Cancer Society announce a multi-national phase II clinical trial (CLARITY; ISRCTN15479264) for people with advanced adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the adrenal glands. The trial currently has multiple sites open in the UK with further sites planned across the UK and Europe.
Drugs & Targets
The European Commission granted marketing authorization for Tepkinly (epcoritamab) in combination with lenalidomide and rituximab (Tepkinly + R2) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. The approval is based on results from the pivotal phase III EPCORE FL-1 trial that evaluated fixed-duration Tepkinly + R2 compared to standard of care R2.
Podcast
In this week's episode of The Cancer Letter Podcast, editor and publisher Paul Goldberg, and associate editor Jacquelyn Cobb revisit two of last week’s most-read stories: the growing recognition that early-onset colorectal cancer requires a new diagnostic mindset, and the life and legacy of Maura Gillison, the scientist whose discovery that most head and neck cancers are driven by HPV transformed the field.
Clinical
Jenna Scott was 29, seven months pregnant, and suddenly, feeling very sick.
Obituary
Maura L. Gillison, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist and molecular epidemiologist whose work changed the standard of care for head and neck cancer by distinguishing human papillomavirus-positive from HPV-negative disease and thereby guiding diagnosis, treatment and prevention, died on June 21.
Trials & Tribulations
I performed my first colonoscopy as a board-certified gastroenterologist more than 20 years ago, at a time when the procedure was firmly established as the “gold standard” for colorectal cancer screening.
