2025 marked a transformative year in oncology, with breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, immunotherapy, liquid biopsy diagnostics, mRNA cancer vaccines, and renewed focus on global cancer health equity shaping the future of cancer care.

It is time for the 2025 oncology wrapped! What topped the charts this year? Which treatment approaches were on repeat? And what new genres of oncology did 2025 unlock?

The year has brought us closer to unraveling the complexities of cancer, with novel therapeutic agents and unprecedented technological advances. Yet amid these innovations lie grey areas that continue to spark debate among physicians and researchers. As the year ends, here are our top insights from the world of cancer, drawn from recent literature, drug approvals, and critical discussions by leading oncologists at medical education conferences.

Top Trends in Oncology 2025

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is accelerating cancer care

The field of oncology has been abuzz with AI talk since its accelerated advancement into healthcare in the 2020s. AI has transformed multiple aspects of cancer care, from early detection and precision medicine to patient management. In the preclinical realm, AI has significantly accelerated drug discovery processes, leading to faster clinical trials and improved drug availability on the market. For example, deep learning models trained on large datasets from various institutions were used to predict immunotherapy response in lung cancer patients, improving the identification of those most likely to benefit. Also, AI is progressively being adopted for cancer imaging. These technologies use imaging data to identify established biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. In 2025, studies are testing the use of AI-assisted imaging in lung, breast, brain, prostate, and colorectal cancer. But despite the promising result, concerns persist. These concerns revolve around generalizability across different populations, data privacy concerns, integration of AI tools into existing workflows, and regulatory considerations. Nonetheless, oncologists remain optimistic.

Dr. Arving Chaudhry, the director of Summit Cancer Center, shared, “The next wave of technology is all about AI. AI is touching every aspect of cancer care. At Summit Cancer Center, we have adopted an electronic medical record that is AI-enhanced. AI is now involved in diagnostics, in treatment, and in gathering data. It is becoming part of every stage of cancer care, and that’s very exciting. We can do so much more with the help of AI than we ever could without it.”

Similarly, at the 2025 Summit on Cancer Health Disparities, Dr. Hoifung Poon, a general manager at Microsoft Research, remarked, “Every year, 20 million new cancer patients enter the system, and traditional data abstraction requires people to spend hours reviewing hundreds of notes, costing hundreds of dollars per case. With GPT-4–powered medical abstraction, the same work takes seconds and costs only cents. This is a prime example of how AI is already transforming cancer care, from tumor boards to clinical trial matching, where it’s now helping screen thousands of patients each year.”

2. Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy Dominate FDA Cancer Approvals

In 2025, FDA drug approval announcements were replete with immuno-oncology and precision medicine approaches, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibody-based therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers, and targeted small molecules. This reflects a strong shift towards mechanism-driven and biomarker-selected treatment. As of December 15, 2025, out of the 52 FDA approval announcements, over 70% of the drugs fell within the immunotherapy and targeted therapy domains. This is illustrated in the table below.

Table showing select classes of cancer drugs approved by the FDA in 2025.

Oncologists shared their perspective on the past, present, and future of targeted therapies and immunotherapies at the 2025 Seattle Lung Cancer conference, emphasizing the paradigm shift towards personalized cancer care. For example, Dr. Jyoti Malhotra, a medical oncologist at City of Hope Orange County, shared:

“I think we will continue to see more targeted therapies, because they truly tailor treatment to a patient’s specific tumor. We have already seen some remarkable advances. For example, the CROWN study showed a median survival of more than five years with lorlatinib for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer, which is a major milestone. So we are seeing more and more promising data emerge.”

Another medical oncologist, Dr. Christina Baik from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, noted:

“I think one of the biggest developments is the use of immunotherapy after surgery. At a high level, we are using more of these very active drugs in earlier-stage settings, where the goal is really to cure more patients. That’s one of the most important trends we are seeing right now.”

As precision medicine approaches continue to take hold in cancer care, oncologists are also emphasizing the early integration of next-generation sequencing and biomarker testing to identify actionable mutations that guide treatment decisions.

2025 Seattle Lung Cancer conference.

3. The Debate on The Adoption of Liquid Biopsy for Cancer Early Detection

Besides therapeutic advances, 2025 also brought progress on the diagnostic front, particularly in the use of liquid biopsy for both single-cancer detection and multi-cancer early detection (MCED). Questions like 'Can a simple blood test detect cancer early?' have long dominated the cancer prevention space. This year, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, conversations about liquid biopsy were central to the theme across multiple sessions.

Liquid biopsy for cancer is a test that analyzes a patient’s blood or other body fluids for small fragments of tumor DNA (ctDNA) or other tumor markers. It can be used for cancer screening, metastatic cancer management, matching patients to clinical trials, and the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD), which tells if there are any traces of cancer left after treatment.

Their clinical use can vary across different cancer types and stages. For example, in lung cancer (NSCLC), using liquid biopsy to detect ctDNA after treatment has shown promise for predicting outcomes and monitoring patients. A phase 3 NSCLC trial showed that ctDNA clearance at surgery, combined with pathological complete response signals, predicted high event-free survival. This suggests that ctDNA could help guide adjuvant decisions in selected patients. Although this has not yet translated into universal MRD-driven treatment changes. This topic sparked a debate amongst a panel of oncologists at the Seattle Lung Cancer Conference, with one panelist sharing,

“The question today is not really the ctDNA guided approach... But the real question is, should we be using this together with pathological findings to make smarter decisions in the post op setting? And my answer is yes.”

Another oncologist expressed cautious optimism, noting,

“The problem with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer is that just a small portion of the cell-free DNA is actually coming from tumor cells… You know, you are in a haystack situation to find it. But that's why we have different technologies. They are not all the same tumor-informed assays. They have better sensitivity and specificity because you are sequencing the tumor to detect the specific variants you want to track.”

On liquid biopsies that can screen multiple cancers at once, also known as multicancer early detection tests (MCED), recent studies show that this approach can be transformative for cancer detection. For example, one recent simulation study that looked at 14 different solid tumors found that, over 10 years, MCED led to a 10–34% increase in earlier cancer diagnoses (stages 1–3), with a 45% drop in stage 4 diagnoses. This suggests that cancers that would have been detected very late are now being identified earlier.

Researchers are continuing to evaluate whether MCED can reduce cancer mortality before its widespread adoption in the clinic. Providers are being encouraged to engage in shared decision-making about MCED tests and to emphasize that their use is in addition to, not a replacement for, standard cancer screening tests.

4. The Promise of mRNA Vaccines in Personalized Cancer Treatment

Messenger RNA (mRNA) acts as a middleman, serving as the translator between the information encoded in genes and the resulting protein structure and function. mRNA vaccines have made significant progress this year in cancer treatment. These vaccines are designed as tiny packages with a lipid layer that carry snippets of mRNA. Once inside our cells, the mRNA is used to produce proteins, which are then displayed on the cell’s surface for the immune system to recognize. In simple terms, the lipid package delivers the instructions, the cell reads them and presents the protein, and the immune system learns to respond. Compared to traditional vaccines, mRNA vaccines are therapeutic, immunogenic (they trigger immune responses), stable, and programmable.

As discussed at the 2025 Precision Oncology Summit on personalized cancer vaccines in immuno-oncology, Dr. Chen Fu shared, “The ‘miracle of mRNA vaccines’ lies in their modularity, allowing the mRNA messages to be ‘switched around at will’ to present desired neoantigens.” He further noted that the personalized approach involves analyzing a patient’s tumor for neoantigens, identifying corresponding mRNA transcripts, and injecting a personalized vaccine to boost the immune response against micrometastatic tumors, helping the immune system find “a needle in a haystack.”

Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of mRNA-based technology, making it cheaper and more accessible for use in other therapeutic areas. A new study presented at ESMO 2025, led by researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center, showed that cancer patients who received mRNA COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint therapy were twice as likely to be alive three years after treatment compared to those who did not receive the vaccine. According to MD Anderson Research News, the authors noted, “This study demonstrates that commercially available mRNA COVID vaccines can train patients’ immune systems to eliminate cancer. When combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, these vaccines produce powerful antitumor immune responses that are associated with massive improvements in survival for patients with cancer.”

Currently, there are several clinical trials testing the effectiveness of personalized mRNA vaccines for the treatment of solid tumors, including, but not limited to, pancreatic, lung, melanoma, and colorectal cancers. Although factors like vaccine stability, delivery efficiency, durability of immune response, and cost still require further improvement.

5. A Closer Look at Global Oncology and Cancer Health Equity

By 2050, cancer cases and deaths are projected to rise to about 30.5 million and 18.6 million, respectively. While this increase is largely driven by population growth and an aging population, disparities experienced by underserved communities in the U.S. and health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to play a significant role.

Despite major therapeutic advances and promising new technologies, cancer incidence continues to climb. Seeking clarity on this issue, a recent JCO report examined the surge in FDA-approved treatments for lung cancer and melanoma alongside their impact on population-level survival and disparities in outcomes. The study found that although new drug approvals strongly correlate with improved survival for patients with melanoma and lung cancer, they have also widened survival disparities. This underscores the need to address barriers to health equity in policies related to drug pricing, coverage, and delivery.

At the Summit on Cancer Health Disparities 2025, several of these challenges were raised and potential solutions discussed. Implementation science and health equity researchers shared global projects aimed at reducing inequities. For example, Dr. Lifang Hou and the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) led the “Health on the Roll” initiative in Mali and Nigeria, implementing community-based self-sampling HPV screening across West Africa. This initiative reduced financial and logistical barriers associated with traditional cervical cancer screening. It also informed researchers about the importance of incorporating community feedback to improve healthcare delivery.

Summit on Cancer Health Disparities 2025.

Other highlights from cancer disparity researchers included discussions on overcoming barriers to clinical trial participation among racial and ethnic minorities, implementing precision medicine in underserved populations, strengthening global partnerships, and elevating community engagement across the cancer care continuum.

At the 2025 Global Oncology Summit, the role of nonprofit organizations in closing equity gaps in global cancer care was a central theme. Binaytara and The Max Foundation showcased their efforts to reduce disparities worldwide. The Max Foundation has supported more than 100,000 patients in 80 countries, helping to close access gaps by distributing cancer treatments in low-resource settings and strengthening diagnostic infrastructure.

2025 Global Oncology Summit.

Binaytara highlighted its multimodal approach to reducing barriers in cancer care through education, health clinics, global partnerships, advocacy, and research. Some of these initiatives include the development of OncoBlast, regional conferences, research awards, and continuous dissemination of scholarly research and cancer news for lay audiences. Having served up to 2,000 patients in Nepal this year and expanding its mission to health systems in Nigeria, Binaytara aims to build world-class cancer programs and infrastructure to address persistent equity challenges in underserved communities.

As we move into 2026, advancing global equity in cancer control must remain a top priority alongside therapeutic progress. Dr. Meghnath Dhimal of the Nepal Health Research Council aptly stated, “To control the growth of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, in LMICs, an interdisciplinary approach for evidence generation and multi-sectoral collaboration and coordination for implementation are urgently needed.”

About Author

Aishat Motolani serves as the Assistant Communications Manager at Binaytara, a nonprofit working to reduce cancer health disparities through global oncology programs and continuing medical education conferences for oncology healthcare professionals. She is also a lead writer for The Cancer News team and has a background in conducting cancer research.

Other Works Discussed

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4. Guerra, C. E., Litton, J. K., Viswanath, C. E., & Fendrick, A. M. (2025). Multicancer Early Detection Tests at a Crossroads: Commercial Availability Ahead of Definitive Evidence. American Society of Clinical Oncology educational book. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Annual Meeting, 45(3), e473834. https://doi.org/10.1200/EDBK-25-473834
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