american association for cancer research annual report

• 115th Anniversary of the AACR
• Realizing the Bold Vision of Cancer Health Equity

Progress Against Cancer in 2022

• AACR Annual Meeting 2022

Scientific Publishing

Aacr international, honoring scientific achievement, aacr project genie®, science and education, scientific review and grants administration, policy and advocacy, aacr membership, aacr foundation, financial statement, the aacr in 2023: a look ahead.

One hundred and fifteen years after the birth of this vital organization, we are pleased to commemorate the anniversary of our founding with the 2022 AACR Annual Impact Report. The report highlights the AACR’s progress during the past year in support of our mission: to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, and funding for cancer research.

Left to right: 2022–2023 AACR President Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR; AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc); and 2021–2022 AACR President David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR.

115th Anniversary

Realizing the Bold Vision of Cancer Health Equity

AACR Annual Meeting 2022

Progress Against Cancer in 2021

• AACR Annual Meeting 2021
• Scientific Publishing
• AACR International
• Honoring Scientific Achievement
• AACR Project GENIE®
• Science and Education
• Scientific Review and Grants Administration
• Policy and Advocacy
• AACR Foundation
• Financial Statement
• The AACR in 2022: A Look Ahead

Left to right: 2021–2022 AACR President David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR; AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc); and 2020–2021 AACR President Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR.

We are pleased to present the 2021 Annual Report of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The report highlights the AACR’s progress over the past year in support of our mission: to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration, research funding, and science policy and advocacy.

The theme of the AACR Annual Meeting 2021, “Discovery Science Driving Clinical Breakthroughs,” is also the theme of this report. The report outlines all the ways in which AACR programs and initiatives support the efforts of investigators across the continuum of cancer research to save, extend, and enhance the lives of patients with cancer.

Once again in 2021, these efforts took place under the shadow of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Under the leadership of our COVID-19 and Cancer Task Force, the AACR continued to safeguard science and public health during the crisis. The second AACR Virtual Conference on COVID-19 and Cancer presented the latest advances in basic, clinical, translational, and epidemiological science, as well as the survivorship and policy issues that are critical to overcoming the virus. In addition, AACR educational forums and publications addressed the challenge of vaccine hesitancy among patients, advocates, and the public.

As this report documents, despite these challenges 2021 was another year of spectacular achievement. The AACR launched its newest journal, Cancer Research Communications , providing an open-access, rapid publication outlet for high-quality research that spans the full spectrum of cancer science and medicine. Scientists, clinicians, and other health care professionals—especially early-career scientists—continued to join the AACR, as our member ranks exceeded 50,000 for the first time. And AACR Project GENIE® announced two data releases, increasing the size of this international pancancer registry to nearly 121,000 sequenced tumors from more than 111,000 patients—including data that were included as part of a successful regulatory submission to the FDA that led to the approval of the first-ever KRAS inhibitor, sotorasib.

In addition, the AACR’s long-standing efforts to diversify the cancer workforce and improve outcomes for patients in underserved populations were bolstered by several new partnerships. The Lustgarten Foundation and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation chose the AACR to administer new grants to support early-career scientists from diverse backgrounds who have been underrepresented in cancer research, and Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck partnered with the AACR to support research focused on eliminating cancer disparities. Further, the AACR partnered with the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMSF) and National Medical Fellowships, providing our expertise in education and training to enhance the BMSF Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program. To meet the program goals of increasing the diversity of patients enrolled in clinical trials and fostering underrepresented early-career investigator physicians, the AACR is organizing a workshop on excellence in clinical trial implementation and training 250 community oriented clinical trial investigators over the next five years.

We are proud that AACR programs have facilitated the groundbreaking advances made by cancer scientists and clinicians over the past year. We are even more proud that AACR initiatives ensure that the benefits of those breakthroughs are distributed more equitably. As the first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing progress against cancer, we will continue to work with all sectors of the cancer community until we achieve our shared mission to prevent and cure all cancers—for all patients.

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc) AACR Chief Executive Officer

Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR AACR President, 2020–2021

David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR AACR President, 2021–2022

Realizing the Bold Vision of Cancer Health Equity

• Progress Against Cancer in 2023
• AACR Annual Meeting 2023
• Scientific Publishing
• AACR Global
• Honoring Scientific Achievement
• AACR Project GENIE®
• Science and Education
• Research and Grants Administration
• Policy and Advocacy
• AACR Membership
• AACR Foundation
• Financial Statement
• The AACR in 2024: A Look Ahead

Left to right: 2023–2024 AACR President Philip D. Greenberg, MD, FAACR; AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc); and 2022–2023 AACR President Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR.

Dear Colleagues and Friends of the AACR:

We are pleased to present the 2023 Annual Impact Report of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The report highlights the AACR’s extraordinary progress and innovation during the past year in support of our mission: to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration, research funding, and science policy and advocacy.

The theme of the AACR Annual Meeting 2023, “Advancing the Frontiers of Cancer Science and Medicine,” is also the theme of this report. The report outlines all the ways in which the AACR’s programs and initiatives support the efforts of scientists and physicians across the full spectrum of cancer research to foster innovation and improve the lives of patients with cancer.

As the report documents, 2023 was an amazing banner year for the AACR! The organization forged new collaborations and strengthened existing ones to drive progress against cancer. The AACR Cancer Centers Alliance—the culmination of a series of meetings of cancer center directors that the AACR convened starting in mid-2022—was formally launched at a press conference in Washington, DC, with the goal of markedly expanding the scope and impact of these leading institutions to improve patient care. In addition, Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) extended and expanded its productive partnership with the AACR, solidifying our critical role as its Scientific Partner by giving the AACR exclusive responsibility for administering the groundbreaking SU2C grants program. And 2023 marked a new era in the AACR’s long-standing collaboration with UT Health San Antonio to present the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium —the largest and most important breast cancer meeting in the world.

This year of transformation included a gift of support that will shape the AACR’s ability to advance our mission. In December, Pfizer Inc. announced that it had chosen to donate the rights of its royalties from the sale of Bavencio® (avelumab) in the United States to the AACR—a gift that will accelerate the AACR’s efforts to advance cutting-edge science and develop lifesaving discoveries to elevate patient care.

As we look back on a spectacular year of partnerships, it is clear that the common thread uniting these transformational relationships is the AACR’s reputation for innovation and scientific leadership. The AACR was selected to receive Pfizer’s impactful donation because of our sustained innovation in cancer research and the peerless abilities of our members, staff, and leadership. These organizational qualities inspired SU2C, UT Health San Antonio, and the nation’s cancer center directors to forge these new and stronger alliances in pursuit of our shared mission. Through these pioneering partnerships, the AACR will continue to advance the frontiers of cancer science and medicine—and to expand the frontiers of hope for cancer patients, caregivers, and their families.

Philip D. Greenberg, MD, FAACR AACR President, 2023–2024

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc) AACR Chief Executive Officer

Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR AACR President, 2022–2023

• Progress Against Cancer in 2019
• AACR Annual Meeting 2019
• Scientific Publishing
• AACR International
• Honoring Scientific Achievement
• Science and Education
• Scientific Review and Grants Administration
• Policy and Advocacy
• AACR Foundation
• Financial Statement
• The AACR in 2020: A Look Ahead

Integrative Cancer Science

Global Impact

Individualized Patient Care

American association for cancer research 2019 annual report

American association for cancer research 2019 annual report

We are pleased to present the 2019 Annual Report of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The report highlights the AACR’s progress over the past year in support of our mission: to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, collaboration, funding, and advocacy.

read full letter

Left to right: Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, FAACR; Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc); Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR

Table of Contents

PROGRESS AGAINST CANCER IN 2019

ANNUAL MEETING 2019

SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING

AACR INTERNATIONAL

HONORING SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT

SCIENCE AND EDUCATION

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW AND GRANTS ADMINISTRATION

POLICY AND ADVOCACY

AACR FOUNDATION

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

THE AACR IN 2020: A LOOK AHEAD

Progress Against Cancer in 2018

• AACR Annual Meeting 2018

Scientific Publishing

AACR International

Honoring Scientific Achievement

Science and Education

• Scientific Review and Grants Administration

Policy and Advocacy

• AACR Foundation
• Financial Statement
• The AACR in 2019: A Look Ahead

American association for cancer research 2018 annual report

We are pleased to present the 2018 Annual Report of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The report highlights the AACR’s progress over the past year in support of our mission: to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, collaboration, funding, and advocacy.

full letter

Left to right: Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc); Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR; Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, FAACR

Table of Contents

Annual Meeting 2018

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW AND GRANTS ADMINISTRATION

AACR FOUNDATION

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

THE AACR IN 2019: A LOOK AHEAD

American association for cancer research 2017 annual report

On May 7, 1907, eleven prominent scientists met at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., to develop an organization of investigators “to further the investigation and spread the knowledge of cancer.” This date marks the founding of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the first scientific society in the world to focus specifically on cancer.

Left to right: AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc); AACR President (2016-2017) Nancy E. Davidson, MD, FAACR; AACR President (2015-2016) José Baselga, MD, PhD, FAACR; AACR President (2017-2018) Michael Caligiuri, MD.

Table of Contents

• Strategic Plan
• Progress Against Cancer in 2017
• AACR Annual Meeting
• Scientific Publishing
• AACR International
• Honoring Scientific Achievement
• Science and Education
• Scientific Review and Grants Administration
• Government Affairs / Survivor and Patient Advocacy
• AACR Foundation
• Financial Statement
• The AACR in 2018: A Look Ahead

© 2018 American Association for Cancer Research

American Association for Cancer Research 2016 ANNUAL REPORT

CLOCKWISE FROM CENTER Retired Army colonel and prostate cancer survivor Jim Williams and his wife, Lois. Featured in the Summer 2016 issue of Cancer Today, the AACR's consumer magazine, Jim counsels recently-diagnosed prostate cancer patients and works with nonprofits to increase cancer screening and improve cancer care for racial and ethnic minorities.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor Luke Theodosiades (center) with his brothers. A featured survivor in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2016, Luke received CAR T-cell therapy in May 2016 and a bone marrow transplant in August 2017, and he currently has no evidence of disease.

AACR President (2016-2017) Nancy E. Davidson, MD. Dr. Davidson is Executive Director of Oncology at the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium, Seattle, Washington.

AACR President (2015-2016) José Baselga, MD, PhD, FAACR. Dr. Baselga is Physician-in-Chief at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.

Papillary thyroid cancer survivor Cherry Sloan-Medrano. Diagnosed with stage III papillary thyroid cancer in 2008, Cherry was treated successfully and now works to educate her community about cancer risk and prevention. Her story is featured in for Fall 2015 issue of Cancer Today .

Former Vice President Joe Biden addressing the AACR Annual Meeting 2016. In late 2015, Vice President Biden called for a "cancer moonshot... a national commitment to end cancer as we know it." After President Obama appointed the vice president to lead the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, AACR members and leaders worked in 2016 to shape and realize the vice president's vision.

Leiomyosarcoma survivor Nancy McGuire . Diagnosed in 2009, Nancy has received a number of treatments over the past seven years, including one drug (trabectedin; Yondelis) that had just received FDA approval. Nancy is a featured survivor in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2016.

Welcome: Delivering Cures through Cancer Science

Dear Colleagues and Friends: We are pleased to present the 2016 Annual Report of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The report highlights the AACR’s steadfast progress during the past year in support of our mission: to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration. The theme of the AACR Annual Meeting 2016, “Delivering Cures through Cancer Science,” is also the theme of this report. The report outlines all of the ways in which AACR programs and initiatives support the full spectrum of cancer research and focus the efforts of the entire cancer community on improving the lives of cancer patients.

By any measure, 2016 was a spectacular year for the AACR. Throughout the year, leading AACR members provided thought leadership to Vice President Joe Biden’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The AACR Annual Meeting 2016 was the largest ever, as more than 19,400 members of the cancer community gathered in New Orleans to share the latest advances across the full spectrum of cancer research. AACR Project GENIE delivered on its promise to catalyze clinical and translational cancer research through data sharing, making freely available one of the largest real-world cancer genomic data sets ever released. And AACR’s scientific publishing program celebrated 100 years of disseminating the most innovative cancer science.

As we look back on a year of exciting progress against cancer, we thank the members of the cancer community who worked together with the AACR in pursuit of our mission. And as we prepare to celebrate the AACR’s 110th anniversary in 2017, we look forward to continuing these collaborations in the coming year and beyond.

We are driving progress against cancer. We are realizing the promise of research. We are delivering cures through cancer science.

Left to right: Nancy E. Davidson, MD; Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc); José Baselga, MD, PhD, FAACR.

Nancy E. Davidson, MD AACR President 2016-2017

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc) AACR Chief Executive Officer

José Baselga, MD, PhD, FAACR AACR President 2015-2016

mission and vision

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration. Through its programs and services, the AACR fosters research in cancer and related biomedical science; accelerates the dissemination of new research findings among scientists and others dedicated to the conquest of cancer; promotes science education and training; and advances the understanding of cancer etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment throughout the world.

Our vision: to be the catalyst for cures and prevention through cancer science.

Progress Against Cancer in 2016

National Cancer Moonshot Initiative

Annual Meeting

Scientific Publishing

AACR International

Honoring Achievement in Science

Science and Education

Scientific Review and Grants Administration

Government Affairs / Survivor and Patient Advocacy

AACR Foundation

Financial Statement

The AACR in 2017: A Vision of the Future

© 2017 American Association for Cancer Research

AACR Cancer Progress Report

Survivor Stories

The AACR Cancer Progress Report highlights research-driven advances in cancer science and medicine.

Research-driven advances in identifying genetic mutations that fuel tumor growth have set the stage for a new era of precision medicine.

Research discoveries made as a result of innovative cancer science are continually being translated into new medical treatment across the continuum of cancer care.

In the United States, 40 percent of all cancers are associated with modifiable risk factors.

Living with stage 4 colon cancer thanks to clinical trials and research.

Enjoying Childhood Thanks to CAR T-cell Therapy

Your donation to the American Association for Cancer Research helps our more than 58,000 members worldwide drive progress against cancer.

• The AACR and COVID-19
• Fighting Racial Inequities and Health Disparities
• Progress Against Cancer in 2020
• AACR Annual Meeting 2020
• Scientific Publishing
• AACR International
• Honoring Scientific Achievement

Science and Education

• Scientific Review and Grants Administration

Policy and Advocacy

• AACR Foundation
• Financial Statement
• The AACR in 2021: A Look Ahead

Investing in Innovation

The aacr grants program sparks innovation in basic, translational, and clinical research by providing critical support to promising investigators at all career levels. since 1993, the aacr has distributed more than $480 million in grants that has driven progress against cancer for the benefit of cancer patients..

The AACR’s network of partnerships yielded several new funding opportunities in 2020:

• AACR-The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research “Science of the Patient” Grants. These grants will advance our understanding of the influence of the biology of the host (i.e., patient) on the genesis, development, treatment, and survivorship of cancer by funding research on the interplay of host physiological systems with the tumor and/or tumor microenvironment.
• AACR-Swim Across America Research Fellowship. This new fellowship will support a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow in conducting cancer research and establishing a successful career path.
• AACR-PLGA Fund at the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Research Grant to Optimize Drug Dosing Strategies for Pediatric LGA/LGG Patients. This new partnership will support innovative and collaborative research focused on the most common forms of pediatric brain cancer, low-grade glioma and low-grade astrocytoma.
• AACR Clinical Oncology Research (CORE) Training Fellowships. This fellowship program was launched in 2018 with funding from AstraZeneca and expanded in 2019 with support from Bayer. In 2020, the AACR formed a new partnership with Agenus to fund additional fellowships, which provide an effective industry-academic clinical practicum to develop academic physician-scientists in drug development.

Michael D. Story, PhD Inaugural Recipient (2019) AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) Research Grant

Narasimha Kumar Karanam, PhD 2020 Recipient AACR-Novocure Career Development Award for Tumor Treating Fields Research

Michael D. Story, PhD ( above right ), is the David A. Pistenmaa Distinguished Chair in Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Narasimha Kumar Karanam, PhD ( above left ), is an Instructor in the same department and has worked in Dr. Story's laboratory since 2012. Both mentor and mentee have received AACR grants to advance their research, an example of the AACR's commitment to supporting innovative cancer science at all career stages.

In 2019, the AACR partnered with Novocure to launch a grants program with the goal of promoting and supporting innovative research on Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields)—a cancer therapy that uses electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and causing affected cancer cells to die. The program offers three types of support: fellowships for postdoctoral and clinical fellows, career development awards for early-career scientists, and independent research grants for established investigators.

Dr. Story was an inaugural recipient of the AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) Research Grant for independent investigators in 2019 for his work to combine TTFields with chemotherapeutic agents that increase replication stress in lung and pancreatic cancer models. A year later, in 2020, Dr. Karanam received a AACR-Novocure Career Development Award for Tumor Treating Fields Research to support his exploration of the therapeutic potential of combining E2F and CDK4/6 inhibitors with TTFields.

Drs. Story and Karanam hope that their work will lead to future clinical trials for novel combinatorial therapeutics involving TTFields. “It is especially gratifying to see your findings begin to be translated to clinical applications,” noted Dr. Story. “Even if it is not a one-to-one transfer, you can see the seed planted by your work.”

Dr. Karanam expressed his gratitude for the support provided by the AACR and Novocure: "This award affords me the opportunity to understand the system level effects of TTFields exposure through trans-omics approaches in order to find novel combination therapies that can be translated into tangible benefits for cancer patients."

Blog post: Learn more about the work of Drs. Story and Karanam.

Grants were awarded in 2020 to meritorious scientists from 36 institutions to support groundbreaking research in all areas of cancer science.

Applications were evaluated for AACR grants in 2020; applicants were from the United States and 29 other countries.

$3.49 million

Amount of research grant funding awarded to 27 postdoctoral and clinical fellows to boost their career development and sustain the next generation of cancer scientists.

$9.13 million

Amount awarded to 29 independent investigators at all career levels—including young investigators, mid-career researchers, and established scientists—to support groundbreaking cancer science.

Expert scientists served on 18 scientific review committees to select the 2020 grant recipients through a rigorous peer-review process. The AACR is a trusted administrator of research grants, providing expert peer review that is fair, rigorous, transparent, and timely.

Stand Up To Cancer: Collaborating to Accelerate Progress

Stand up to cancer.

A division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) supports collaboration and innovation in translational cancer research to accelerate the development of new cancer treatments. As the Scientific Partner of SU2C, the AACR provides expert peer review and grants administration, ensuring that SU2C’s investment in research has the greatest benefit for cancer patients.

New Team: Gastric Cancer Interception Research

Team science is at the core of SU2C’s mission. In January, with oversight from the AACR, SU2C launched a new research team focusing on stomach (gastric) cancer, the world’s third leading cause of cancer death. Many gastric cancers are detected at an advanced stage when they are difficult to treat. Under the guidance of team leader Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, and coleader Sandra Ryeom, PhD, this new team will conduct studies to identify biomarkers that would identify the presence of gastric cancer and support interception at an earlier stage. The three-year, $3 million team grant is supported by generous grants from the Cless Family Foundation and the Sara and Jeff Schottenstein Family Charitable Fund.

Phillip A. Sharp Innovation in Collaboration Awards

Named for the chair of the SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, these awards bring together leading scientists to collaborate on critical problems in cancer research and identify novel solutions. In July, SU2C announced the launch of five new projects, with each team receiving up to $250,000 to pursue ideas that will accelerate progress for the benefit of cancer patients:

• Genomic and therapeutic implications of selective bacterial and fungal colonization of gastrointestinal malignancies Leaders: Florencia McAllister, MD, and Luis A. Diaz, Jr., MD
• Utilizing tumor organoids to facilitate the development of effective strategies to target pancreatic cancer with engineered T cells Leaders: William A. Freed-Pastor, MD, PhD, and Philip D. Greenberg, MD, FAACR
• Can scRNAseq-derived gene programs predict anti-PD1 response in high TMB CRC and NSCLC patients? Leaders: Karin Pelka, PhD, and Matthew D. Hellmann, MD
• Harnessing NK cells to treat pediatric cancers Leaders: Karin Pelka, PhD, and Matthew D. Hellmann, MD
• Enhancing ferroptosis to block Ewing sarcoma metastatic capacity Leaders: Poul H. B. Sorensen, MD, PhD, and Elizabeth R. Lawlor, MD, PhD

Pancreatic Cancer Collective

The Pancreatic Cancer Collective (PCC) is a strategic partnership between SU2C and the Lustgarten Foundation that is focused on improving outcomes for a disease with a current five-year survival rate of nine percent. With the support of the AACR the collective made more progress toward that goal in 2020:

• PCC Summer Symposium. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AACR worked with SU2C and the Lustgarten Foundation to adapt the Summer Symposium to a virtual format. Held in June, the symposium convened experts from across the full spectrum of pancreatic cancer research. SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee Chair Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, FAACR, and AACR President-Elect and Lustgarten Chief Scientist David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR, addressed the symposium attendees and urged them to continue their critical work despite the challenges of the pandemic.
• New Therapies Challenge Grants: Additional Funding. The New Therapies Challenge Grants were launched in 2019 with seven research teams each receiving up to $1 million in initial funding. In March, the PCC announced that the four teams that demonstrated the most promising preliminary results would receive a second round of funding. The following four teams will receive up to $4 million over a three-year term to bring their potential therapies into clinical trials:
• Exploiting DNA Repair Gene Mutations in Pancreatic Cancer Team leader: Alan D. D’Andrea, MD, FAACR Coleader: James M. Cleary, MD, PhD The team will develop three clinical trials testing therapies that combine gemcitabine with inhibitors that target regulatory proteins involved in DNA repair.
• Immunotherapy Targeting Mutant KRAS Team leader: Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil Coleaders: Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, and Beatriz M. Carreno, PhD The team is conducting two different clinical trials of novel vaccines to identify the molecular receptor that triggers the most promising mKRAS immune responses. When that receptor is identified, the team will conduct a clinical trial of engineered T-cell therapy for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
• Molecularly Targeted Radionuclide Therapy via the Integrin AlphaVBeta6 Team leader: Julie L. Sutcliffe, PhD Coleader: Richard L. Bold, MD The team will conduct a phase I, first-in-human study to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of two peptide constructs synthesized as part of an effort to develop a peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.
• Targeting SHP2 in Pancreatic Cancer Team leader: René Bernards, DPhil, FAACR Coleaders: Emile E. Voest, MD, PhD, and Hana Algül, MD, MPH The team will move into a phase I/Ib clinical trial to test the combination of SHP2 inhibitors (RMC4630) and ERK inhibitors (LY3214996) in pancreatic cancers with a mutation in the KRAS gene.

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Progress Against Cancer in 2015

mission and vision

Annual Meeting

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Honoring Scientific Achievement

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AACR Foundation

Financial Statement

The AACR in 2016: A Look Ahead

Welcome: Bringing Cancer Discoveries to Patients

We are pleased to present the 2015 Annual Report of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The report highlights the AACR’s progress over the past year in support of our mission: to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration.

The theme of the AACR Annual Meeting 2015, “Bringing Cancer Discoveries to Patients,” is also the theme of this report. It emphasizes the critical value of each step along the cancer science continuum, from basic discoveries to translational advances to clinical treatments. With 35,000 members working in every discipline along that continuum, the AACR is uniquely positioned to improve the lives of cancer patients in a myriad of ways:

The AACR identifies and fosters innovative science that is of the highest priority for impact in reducing cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality. One of the AACR’s major mechanisms for accomplishing this goal is to promote high-quality science through its Scientific Review and Grants Administration program. The AACR provides scientific oversight and expert peer review to ensure that the most promising projects receive essential funding. Working with funding partners throughout the cancer community, the AACR awarded nearly $70 million in grants to exceptional investigators in 2015. The AACR also fosters innovation and recognizes the meritorious work of investigators and their impact on the field through Scientific Achievement Awards and election as Fellows of the AACR Academy.

The AACR sustains the pipeline of cancer scientists at all career levels. Special programs inspire high school students and undergraduates to pursue careers in cancer research, and educational workshops help early-career scientists to become leaders in their fields. AACR Annual Meetings and conferences bring together emerging and established scientists to share their research findings and learn about the latest developments in all disciplines. The AACR also educates advocates through the Scientist↔Survivor Program, pairing them with mentors who provide the scientific context for their vitally important work in the cancer field.

Communication

The AACR’s scientific journals and conferences provide leading investigators with a vital forum for sharing the latest discoveries, using the page and the podium to disseminate cutting-edge cancer science in all disciplines. The AACR also fosters dialogue among the various stakeholders in the cancer community. Through briefings, workshops, and the AACR Cancer Progress Report, the Office of Science Policy and Government Affairs keeps lawmakers, regulators, and the public informed about the critical value of cancer research. In addition, Cancer Today magazine and the Survivor and Patient Advocacy program provide authoritative knowledge that empowers patients, caregivers, and patient advocates to meet the challenges of a cancer diagnosis.

Collaboration

With members in 101 countries and a longstanding reputation for scientific excellence, the AACR forges partnerships with scientific and advocacy organizations worldwide to advance science for the benefit of all cancer patients. In addition, the AACR’s cross-disciplinary meetings, workshops, and task forces bring investigators from academia, government, and industry together, breaking down silos and building productive relationships.

Cancer is a complex disease, and achieving our mission to prevent and cure all cancers requires a concerted effort in a wide range of scientific and policy areas. As this report demonstrates, the AACR is actively engaged in these areas, supporting the community that will translate our increasing understanding of the cancer problem into solutions.

Our mission is ambitious. Together, we will achieve it.

José Baselga, MD, PhD, FAACR AACR President 2015-16

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc) AACR Chief Executive Officer

Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, FAACR AACR President 2014-15

Mission statement

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration. Through its programs and services, the AACR fosters research in cancer and related biomedical science; accelerates the dissemination of new research findings among scientists and others dedicated to the conquest of cancer; promotes science education and training; and advances the understanding of cancer etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment throughout the world.

VISION statement

To be the most effective catalyst for cures and prevention through cancer science.

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to accelerating the prevention and cure of cancer. Founded in 1907 by nine physicians and two laboratory scientists, the AACR has more than 35,000 members in 101 countries. Learn more about the history of the AACR.

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Home > About the AACR > Newsroom > News Release > AACR Cancer Progress Report Details Exciting Advances in Cancer Research and Treatment

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AACR Cancer Progress Report Details Exciting Advances in Cancer Research and Treatment

Report includes call to action outlining steps congress must take to maintain momentum against cancer for all patients.

PHILADELPHIA – Today, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released the 13th edition of its annual Cancer Progress Report , which chronicles how basic, translational, and clinical cancer research and cancer-related population sciences—primarily supported by federal investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—remain vitally important to improving health and saving lives.

In addition to providing the latest statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, and survivorship, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 offers detailed updates and important context regarding the latest research in cancer etiology, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and survivorship. Throughout the report, the personal stories of patients who have benefited from innovative, recently approved anticancer therapeutics highlight the real-world impact of cancer research.

This comprehensive report also features a spotlight on cancer immunotherapy and addresses persistent challenges in cancer research, including cancer disparities, slow progress against certain types of cancer, and the physical, psychosocial, and financial hardships faced by cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers. A closing call to action outlines steps Congress and other stakeholders must take to ensure that the U.S. maintains its momentum against cancer for the benefit of all patients.

“The advances in cancer research, particularly in the last two decades, have been breathtaking,” said AACR President Philip Greenberg, MD, FAACR, faculty member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “We are in an era of unparalleled opportunity to make even more breakthroughs for patients. For the cancer research community to achieve these breakthroughs, however, our representatives in Congress must continue to prioritize funding for biomedical research, from basic research to clinical trials. Through the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 , we are sharing with the public and policy makers the progress that has been made, how that progress has been delivered to patients, how it’s changed people’s lives, and the unparalleled opportunities that now exist from scientific and technologic advances, so they understand how crucial it is that we maintain this momentum through continued support of NIH and NCI.”

PROMISING TRENDS AND ADVANCES IN CANCER CARE

The medical research community—including researchers in academia and industry, physician-scientists, patient advocates, regulators, and many other stakeholders—has maintained impressive momentum against cancer in recent years. As outlined in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 :

• A new gene therapy-based immunotherapeutic for certain patients with bladder cancer
• A first-in-class antibody drug conjugate for patients with ovarian cancer
• Four new T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies for a range of hematologic malignancies
• The first approval of an immune checkpoint inhibitor for pediatric and adult patients with a rare form of sarcoma
• Due in large part to advances in prevention, early detection, and treatment, the age-adjusted overall cancer death rate in the U.S. fell by 33% between 1991 and 2020— an estimated 3.8 million cancer deaths averted .
• Breast cancer mortality declined by 43% between 1989 and 2020 , leading to an estimated 460,000 fewer breast cancer deaths.
• The decrease in lung cancer mortality has accelerated from 0.9% a year between 1995 and 2005 to nearly 5% a year between 2014 and 2020. This rapid decline is the result of a steep reduction in the U.S. smoking rate as well as the development of numerous highly effective molecularly targeted therapeutics and immunotherapeutics.
• More and better treatment options have led to notable progress against many pediatric cancers as well. Among children (14 and younger) and adolescents (15-19), overall cancer death rates declined by 70% and 64%, respectively, between 1970 and 2020.

THE IMMUNOTHERAPY REVOLUTION

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care. Breakthroughs in this field have contributed to much of the progress noted above, such as declines in the death rates for previously intractable cancers like advanced lung cancer and melanoma. The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 contains a spotlight on the history of cancer immunotherapy, the current state of this treatment modality, and the immense promise of the next generation of immunotherapeutics. Highlights include:

• Since 2011, the FDA has approved 11 immune checkpoint inhibitors , which release “brakes” on the surface of certain immune cells—called T cells—so that the T cells are able to destroy cancer cells. Many of these drugs are approved for more than one type of cancer, making immune checkpoint inhibitors a treatment option for 20 cancer types and any tumor with certain specific molecular characteristics.
• Since 2017, the FDA has approved six CAR T-cell therapies to treat a range of hematologic malignancies. CAR T-cell therapy is a type of adoptive cell therapy, which is designed to dramatically increase the number of cancer-killing immune cells a patient has.
• The field is expanding in exciting ways, with researchers combining the power of other cells in the immune system with recent advances in gene editing to develop more personalized and effective versions of adoptive cell therapy for treatment of solid tumors; developing mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics to treat cancer; and targeting the gut microbiome to increase the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, among many other innovative approaches.

DESPITE PROGRESS, CHALLENGES PERSIST

Despite the extraordinary scientific progress against cancer in recent years, this complex disease remains a significant threat to human health around the world. In the U.S., it is estimated that nearly 2 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and more than 609,000 people will die from the disease in 2023.

Indeed, cancer research and patient care face numerous challenges, as outlined in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 :

• Cancer disparities are a pervasive public health problem, with racial and ethnic minorities and other medically underserved U.S. populations shouldering a disproportionally higher burden of cancer. While advances have been made in identifying, understanding, and addressing some of these disparities, more research and policy solutions are urgently needed to ensure equitable progress against cancer.
• There has been uneven progress against different cancer types. Few treatment options exist for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or glioblastoma, for example, and 5-year relative survival rates for these cancers are extremely low.
• Incidence rates for some cancers are increasing, including for early-onset colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and uterine cancer, in part due to the rising rate of obesity.
• Financial toxicity is widespread, exacerbated by the rising cost of cancer care. In 2019, U.S. cancer patients paid an estimated $16.2 billion in out-of-pocket cancer care costs and lost an additional $5 billion in “time costs.”

FEDERAL FUNDING ESSENTIAL FOR CONTINUED PROGRESS

To confront these and other challenges, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 calls on Congress to support robust, sustained, and predictable annual funding growth for NIH and NCI by providing increases of at least $3.465 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively, in their fiscal year 2024 base budgets. This funding is crucial to continued progress for patients. From 2010 to 2019, NIH funding contributed to the development of 354 out of 356 new drugs, including many cancer drugs, approved by the FDA.

The AACR also urges Congress to:

• Provide $1.7 billion in dedicated funding for Cancer Moonshot activities in FY 2024 across NCI, FDA, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the assurance that Moonshot funding will supplement rather than supplant NIH funding in FY 2024.
• Appropriate at least $472.4 million in FY 2024 appropriations for the CDC Division of Cancer Prevention to support comprehensive cancer control, central cancer registries, and screening and awareness programs for specific cancers.
• Allocate $50 million in funding for the Oncology Center of Excellence at FDA in FY 2024 to allow regulators with the capable staff and necessary tools to conduct expedited review of cancer-related medical products.

“We are proud to release the 13 th annual AACR Cancer Progress Report ,” said AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc). “It is our hope that this comprehensive resource will help to increase knowledge about the myriad diseases we call cancer as well as the innovative research that is improving and extending lives. The findings in this report, along with the personal stories of the featured patients, underscore the enormous impact that robust, sustained, and predictable funding for cancer research has had on Americans’ health, and why that support must continue.”

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In the Spotlight

Resource report, cancer biology, cancer immunology, cancer metabolism and molecular mechanisms, therapeutic development and chemical biology, translational cancer biology, cancer landscapes, computational cancer biology and technology, editor’s note, journal archive, cancer research (1941-present; volumes 1-current), the american journal of cancer (1931-1940; volumes 15-40), the journal of cancer research (1916-1930); volumes 1-14), table of contents, modernizing the nci60 cell line screen for phenotypic drug discovery in the 21st century, dietary commensal wrestles iron from tumor microenvironment to activate antitumoral macrophages, hts384 nci60: the next phase of the nci60 screen.

The new NCI60 cell line screen HTS384 shows robust patterns of response to oncology agents and substantial overlap with the classic screen, providing an updated tool for studying therapeutic agents.

Estrogen Induces LCAT to Maintain Cholesterol Homeostasis and Suppress Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development

Estrogen mediates the sex differences in hepatocellular carcinoma development by reducing cholesterol biosynthesis through activation of an LCAT/HDL-C axis, providing strategies for improving liver cancer prevention, prognosis, and treatment.

Human 3D Ovarian Cancer Models Reveal Malignant Cell–Intrinsic and –Extrinsic Factors That Influence CAR T-cell Activity

Three-dimensional in vitro models of increasing complexity uncover mechanisms of resistance to CAR T cells in solid tumors, which could help accelerate development of improved CAR T-cell constructs.

HDAC Inhibition Increases CXCL12 Secretion to Recruit Natural Killer Cells in Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma

Targeting HDAC3 suppresses progression of T‐cell lymphoma by activating ATF3 to induce secretion of CXCL12 and promote infiltration of NK cells, providing an immunostimulatory approach for treating T‐cell lymphoma patients.

Single-Cell Analyses Reveal the Metabolic Heterogeneity and Plasticity of the Tumor Microenvironment during Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression

Fructose and mannose metabolism is a metabolic feature of a protumor and prometastasis macrophage subtype and can be targeted to reprogram macrophages and the microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Extracellular Vesicles Containing circMYBL1 Induce CD44 in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Cells and Pulmonary Endothelial Cells to Promote Lung Metastasis

circMYBL1 stabilizes CEBPB and upregulates CD44 to promote adhesion between cancer cells and endothelial cells and enables lung metastasis of adenoid cystic carcinoma, suggesting that inhibition of this axis could improve patient outcomes.

Comprehensive Target Engagement by the EZH2 Inhibitor Tulmimetostat Allows for Targeting of ARID1A Mutant Cancers

The EZH2 inhibitor tulmimetostat achieves comprehensive target inhibition in ARID1A mutant solid tumor models and cancer patients that can be assessed with a pharmacodynamic gene signature in peripheral blood.

The DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitor 5-Aza-4′-thio-2′-Deoxycytidine Induces C>G Transversions and Acute Lymphoid Leukemia Development

Treatment with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor generates a distinct mutation signature and triggers leukemic transformation, which has important implications for the research and clinical applications of these inhibitors.

Case-Case Genome-Wide Analyses Identify Subtype-Informative Variants That Confer Risk for Breast Cancer

The discovery of subtype-informative genetic risk variants for breast cancer advances our understanding of the etiologic heterogeneity of breast cancer, which could accelerate the identification of targets and personalized strategies for prevention and treatment.

Allysine-Targeted Molecular MRI Enables Early Prediction of Chemotherapy Response in Pancreatic Cancer

Allysine-targeted molecular MRI can quantify fibrogenesis in pancreatic tumors and predict response to chemotherapy, which could guide rapid clinical management decisions by differentiating responders from nonresponders after treatment initiation.

Editor’s Note: Androgen-Induced Differentiation and Tumorigenicity of Human Prostate Epithelial Cells

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NOTICE: This notice serves to inform the reader that, in 2023, AACR received a donation by Pfizer of the rights to royalties from the sale within the United States of Bavencio® (avelumab), a pharmaceutical owned by Merck. If any resulting funds are received, they would not be used to directly support any specific publication or author. If an individual article is published that deals with this particular drug, such article will include standard financial disclosures per AACR journal policy. For more detail regarding AACR’s established policies for authors, please go to https://aacrjournals.org/pages/editorial-policies#coi .

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