Showcasing Groundbreaking Cancer Science

As the pinnacle event of the cancer research community, the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 will bring together more than 22,000 scientists, clinicians, other health care professionals, cancer survivors, and patient advocates to discuss the latest breakthroughs in cancer research and forge new connections to propel the field even further.

The meeting, which will be held April 17-22, 2026, in San Diego, will showcase groundbreaking advances across the cancer research continuum, noted this year’s AACR Annual Meeting Program Chairs, Paul S. Mischel, MD, FAACR, and Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, FAACR.

“From the most fundamental discoveries in cancer biology, to therapeutic advances that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago, the work highlighted at the AACR Annual Meeting, conducted by its members, is changing the human face of cancer, giving hope to countless patients and their families, and informing our understanding of this devastating disease and how to combat it,” said Dr. Mischel, a physician-scientist at Stanford University in California.

“As program chairs, our goal was to design a scientific program that captures the full spectrum of cancer research, from foundational science to clinical impact,” said Dr. Shaw, a physician-scientist at Harvard University and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “Our expertise is highly complementary—Paul’s rooted in fundamental biology and mine in translational and cancer research—and that intentional balance has enabled us to design a program that links basic biology to therapeutic innovation and clinical impact.”

Meeting Theme Highlights Importance of Collaboration and Global Impact

The theme of this year’s scientific program, “Precision, Partnership, Purpose: Advancing Cancer Science to Save Lives Globally,” reflects the extraordinary advances in cancer research, as well as their expected impacts for patients across the globe, said Dr. Shaw.

“The scientific program of the Annual Meeting has been intentionally designed to reflect the theme, highlighting cutting-edge science across the continuum of discovery, translation, and clinical investigation; fostering cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaborations; and emphasizing research with real-world clinical and global relevance,” she noted.

“Precision” embodies progress in translating the fundamentals of cancer biology into tailored treatments, such as kinase inhibitors, immune-based strategies, and radioligand therapies, among others, Dr. Shaw explained, adding that this progress has been made possible by the second part of the meeting theme: “partnership.” Finally, “purpose” reflects the driving force behind cancer research, which is to improve the lives of patients around the world.

“This is an especially important year for the AACR Annual Meeting, as we highlight and reflect upon the remarkable progress and further recommit ourselves to the purpose of translating discovery to save lives,” said Dr. Mischel. “From early detection to new and more effective treatments, cancer science is saving lives across the globe.”

Scientific Program Captures AI, Early-onset Cancer, Drug Discovery, and More

The conference’s scientific program captures some of the “hottest” topics in cancer research, allowing attendees to learn about the latest advances and discover novel strategies to combat cancer.

“This year’s AACR Annual Meeting features an exceptionally rich and diverse scientific program that reflects the incredible pace of progress and innovation in cancer research,” said Dr. Shaw.

“Game-changing discoveries are transforming the landscape of cancer science at a remarkable pace, from artificial intelligence (AI), to immunology, to new drug development, including antibody-drug conjugates, bispecifics, molecular glues and degraders, and small molecules,” said Dr. Mischel. He emphasized that all of these topics will be captured by the meeting’s scientific program, as part of its robust representation of fundamental cancer science, translational and clinical research, population sciences, cancer prevention, and health disparities.

Both pointed to the meeting’s Opening Plenary Session, which will feature four eminent scientists whose research exemplifies the breadth and overarching theme of the Annual Meeting: immunotherapy pioneer Carl H. June, MD, FAACR; chemical biologist and small-molecule developer Georg E. Winter, PhD;  FAACR, AI expert Regina Barzilay, PhD; and leader in targeted therapy development Charles L. Sawyers, MD, FAACR.

Four additional Plenary Sessions will each center around a key area of research that has the potential to transform patient care:

•  The Next Frontier in Minimal Residual Disease: Solid Tumors
•  AI Revolution in Cancer Research
•  Early-onset Cancers: Why Are More Young Adults Getting Cancer?
•  Innovative Treatment Modalities: Shaping the Future of Oncology

The plenary program will conclude with a wrap-up session that highlights and contextualizes the conference’s key takeaways.

Further, the Annual Meeting’s highly anticipated clinical trial sessions will feature first reports of potentially practice-changing results.

The meeting will also include more than 100 scientific sessions showcasing advances in chemistry, drug discovery, early detection and interception, hematologic malignancies, cutting-edge therapeutic modalities, and several other timely topics. Notably, three “New Drugs on the Horizon” sessions, held in collaboration with the AACR Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group, will feature first disclosures of novel therapeutics that are currently being or will soon be evaluated in cancer clinical trials.

In addition, the education program, comprised of more than 65 educational sessions and methods workshops, offers a unique opportunity for attendees to learn about a wide range of topics both within and outside their respective areas of research. The education program will include sessions on bringing chemistry to the clinic, clinical trial design, tumor immunology and immunotherapy for nonimmunologists, and more.

Annual Meeting Offers Attendees Opportunities to Advance Their Careers

As part of the AACR’s mission to foster the education and training of the cancer research workforce, the Annual Meeting will feature numerous professional development opportunities for researchers at all career stages to learn, network, and find mentorship.

For those at the earliest steps of their careers, special events will allow high school and undergraduate students to meet with cancer researchers, learn about current research areas, and explore career options. An undergraduate poster competition will provide these young scientists the chance to gain experience presenting their own research.

A career fair and other recruiting events will provide attendees opportunities to network with potential employers, and networking hubs will enable attendees to meet with colleagues, potential collaborators, and esteemed cancer researchers.

Moreover, the prestigious NextGen Stars program will award oral presentations to 11 selected early-career researchers, providing increased visibility to their research.

“The AACR Annual Meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity for attendees to learn about the most important advances in cancer research,” said Dr. Shaw. “There truly is something for everyone, and we hope that attendees will come away energized by the science, the teamwork, and the urgent need to accelerate discoveries to patients.”