Doctors, scientists and researchers presented new findings on cancer treatments at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, the largest cancer conference worldwide. Held in Chicago and attended by 40,000 health professionals, the event included over 200 sessions and 2,700 poster presentations under the theme of translating science into better global cancer outcomes. Five key takeaways emerged. Immunotherapy drugs that use the body’s immune system to fight tumors have transformed cancer care in the past decade, yet they fail for some patients when cancer cells evade detection. Researchers introduced an experimental tablet, GRWD5769, that prevents this hiding. In trials across the UK, France, Spain and Australia, the drug combined with cemiplimab shrank tumors by at least 30 percent in six common cancer types. All participants had previously not responded to therapy. The treatment removes protective layers from tumor cells, allowing the immune system and immunotherapy to target them effectively. Tumors shrank in 26 of 83 patients with cervical, bladder, liver, bowel, lung or head and neck cancers, with 15 achieving reductions of 30 percent or more. A second study showed another smart drug paired with chemotherapy extended lung cancer survival by 15 percent on average. A third drug, ozekibart, mimics a natural protein to trigger cancer cell death while sparing healthy tissue, showing benefits in bowel cancer cases. A daily pill doubled survival for patients with pancreatic cancer, the world’s deadliest common cancer. In a trial of 500 patients whose disease had spread, daraxonrasib extended average survival to 13.2 months versus 6.6 to 6.7 months with chemotherapy, with fewer side effects. Experts described the results as transformative. A second pill added to standard care for an incurable blood cancer more than doubled the time before disease progression by targeting specific proteins and stimulating immune response.
