11 New Cancer Therapies, Longer Survival and the Promise of AI

In just 12 months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 11 new cancer therapies, marking a significant advance in the fight against the disease. The figure is highlighted in the 16th edition of the annual report on progress in cancer research published by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

“Over the course of my 25-year career as a physician-scientist, I have witnessed a remarkable transformation in our understanding of cancer and in the way we diagnose and treat patients,” said Keith Flaherty, president of the AACR and chair of the steering committee that oversaw the report. “Advances in genomics, immunology and artificial intelligence have given us an unprecedented understanding of the complexity of cancer. This knowledge is helping us develop highly effective treatments and entirely new therapeutic approaches that are increasingly tailored to the biology of each patient’s disease.”

According to the report, between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, the FDA approved 11 new cancer therapies. They included the first molecularly targeted therapy for a rare and aggressive brain tumor carrying a specific genetic alteration; a targeted therapy that exploits the cell’s protein-degradation machinery to kill cancer cells in patients with breast cancer; the first immune checkpoint inhibitor approved for ovarian cancer; and the first chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for patients with marginal zone lymphoma.

During the same period, the agency also approved five new uses for previously authorized cancer drugs, as well as a noninvasive wearable device for pancreatic cancer treatment, an at-home human papillomavirus (HPV) self-collection kit and several artificial intelligence-based tools designed to improve the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

According to the AACR, these advances are the result of years of research and growing collaboration across institutions and scientific disciplines. “Progress against cancer is moving rapidly, with further breakthroughs on the horizon,” Flaherty said. “We cannot stop here. Now is the time to invest in medical research, foster collaboration across laboratories and disciplines, and support the next generation of cancer scientists.”

Advances in prevention, early detection and treatment, together with declining smoking rates, have contributed to a 35% reduction in the overall U.S. cancer mortality rate between 1991 and 2024. According to the report, this represents approximately 4.8 million deaths averted.

Research is also improving outcomes for patients with advanced and metastatic disease. Across all cancers, the five-year relative survival rate for patients with metastatic disease has more than doubled over the past three decades, rising from 17% in the mid-1990s to 36% in the 2016-2022 period.

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role, accelerating both basic cancer research and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Researchers have recently combined AI with advanced spatial imaging technologies to create high-resolution maps of tumors, allowing them to study more precisely the organization and interactions of cancer and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment.

AI is also transforming the search for new cancer drugs. Using a recently developed artificial intelligence model, researchers analyzed around 10,000 human proteins against more than 500 million compounds, identifying more than 2 million candidate molecules.

The applications of AI are also expanding into cancer screening and early diagnosis. AI-based tools can improve the interpretation of routine medical images and the analysis of complex digital images of tissue samples, as reflected in several recent FDA authorizations. These technologies can also help physicians predict patient outcomes, personalize treatment plans and optimize clinical trial design, while potentially reducing the workload and burnout experienced by health care professionals.

Despite these advances, cancer remains a major public health challenge. According to estimates cited in the report, more than 2.1 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States in 2026, while more than 626,000 people are expected to die from the disease. By 2050, the number of new cases in the United States could exceed 2.5 million, representing a 19% increase from current levels.

For some cancers, survival rates also remain very low. Between 2016 and 2022, the five-year relative survival rate was 13.7% for pancreatic cancer and 6.6% for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. By comparison, the rate was 91.9% for female breast cancer and 98.2% for prostate cancer.

Another growing concern is the rise in early-onset cancers, diagnosed in people between the ages of 18 and 49. Globally, cancer incidence among people under 50 increased by nearly 80% between 1990 and 2019. Rates have risen for many cancer types, but gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal, stomach and esophageal cancers, have contributed disproportionately to the increase.

Researchers have identified several overlapping risk factors that may be associated with this trend, including rising obesity rates, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, greater exposure to environmental pollutants and changes in dietary habits. The report nevertheless emphasizes the complexity of the phenomenon and the need for further research to fully understand its causes.

Cancer also carries a substantial financial burden for patients and society. In the United States, direct costs associated with cancer care, much of which is borne by patients, were estimated at more than $236 billion in 2020. When indirect costs and lost productivity are included, the overall economic impact is far greater and is expected to continue rising. One analysis cited in the report estimates that cancer could cost the U.S. economy approximately $5.3 trillion over the next 30 years.