From April 17–22, 2026, Yale Cancer Center faculty and trainees joined more than 22,000 cancer researchers from around the world to share the latest advances in cancer science and medicine at the 117th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The meeting brings together cancer researchers and clinicians from around the world. Yale Cancer Center experts shared findings on patient-centered trials, new methods in pathology, and targeted treatments for head and neck cancers.
Highlights from the annual meeting included a session chaired by Dr. Barbara Burtness on “Advancing Precision Approaches to Head and Neck Cancers,” where she presented data on HPV-independent head and neck cancer, as well as an educational session on "Advancing Patient-Centered Clinical Trials: Bringing Trials to Patients and Patients to Trials" moderated by Dr. Roy S. Herbst and featuring a presentation with Dr. Pat LoRusso.
During the opening ceremony, Samir Zaidi, MD, PhD, was awarded an AACR Trailblazer Cancer Research Grant for his project "Mechanisms of cellular plasticity in neuroendocrine prostate cancer initiation." Nine early-stage investigators and six mid-career investigators each received a $1 million grant to support promising cancer research. The meeting featured over 90 presentations from Yale Cancer Center faculty and trainees. We recognize the contributions of all attendees, presenters, and research teams.