Between 2020 and 2024, the number of unique sites in the United States where phase I clinical trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were conducted decreased by 44% and became increasingly concentrated at the top 20 highest‑volume clinical trial sites largely located in major cities, according to results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22. 

About The Study: The findings of this study indicate that cancers with the highest lethality receive disproportionately lower levels of federal research support. Prioritizing these cancers could help direct limited resources toward diseases with the greatest potential to reduce suffering, particularly as outcomes continue to improve for less lethal malignant neoplasms. Beyond mortality, prioritization should also account for the disproportionate impact of certain cancers on underserved populations, quality-of-life burden, and opportunities for prevention.

A biology-guided artificial intelligence model applied to routine pathology slides accurately predicted outcomes and response to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.

A machine learning model analyzing CpG-based DNA methylation accurately predicted the origin of many different cancer types in patients with cancers of unknown primary (CUP), according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.

A single infusion of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti) led to a 100% minimal residual disease (MRD)-negativity rate in patients with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma, according to results from CAR-PRISM, a phase II clinical trial, presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.

Fast inverse planning in radiosurgery planning is limited by an excessive number of isocenters, which is clinically hypothesized to be driven by the morphological irregularity of the target volume. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to empirically evaluate this hypothesis in vestibular schwannoma cases.

Stuart Orkin, MD, Investigator at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, David G. Nathan Distinguished Professor, Harvard Medical School and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has been honored with The Breakthrough Prize for his pioneering work discovering the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin and validating it as a therapeutic target for sickle-cell disease and beta-thalassemia. Dr. Orkin shares the prize Swee Lay Thein.