Key Takeaways From World’s largest Cancer Conference in Chicago

By: Jordan Lee

OVERVIEW: 

At the 2025 ASCO conference in Chicago, major advances in cancer treatment were unveiled, including immunotherapies like Keytruda and lifileucel showing long-term survival benefits in head and neck cancer and melanoma. CAR T-cell therapy demonstrated effectiveness in solid tumors such as gastric and brain cancers. The NHS announced the rollout of liquid biopsies to guide precision treatment. A landmark trial showed structured exercise reduces cancer recurrence and persistence. New breast cancer drugs like camizestrant and combination therapies slowed disease progression, and AI tools are now identifying prostate cancer patients most likely to benefit from treatment for less toxic cancer care.

Pembrolizumab (sold under Keytruda) showed remarkable long-term control of head and neck cancer, maintaining remission for up to five years—nearly doubling the standard care outcome of 30 months, while significantly lowering recurrence risk. Lifileucel, a one-time cellular immunotherapy for advanced melanoma, delivered durable responses with about 20% of patients surviving five years post-treatment, and the majority seeing tumor shrinkage.

In the first randomized trial of CAR T‑cell therapy for solid tumors, patients with advanced gastric or gastro–oesophageal junction cancer saw about a 40% increase in survival (7.9 in comparison to 5.5 months) and longer progression-free intervals (3.3 in comparison to 1.8 months) compared to standard treatment. Additionally, promising responses were observed for recurrent glioblastoma, marking a major advance in applying CAR T to brain cancers.

England’s NHS has begun using liquid biopsies. These are blood tests that detect circulating tumor DNA for lung and breast cancer patients. The innovation allows personalized treatment decisions and signals a shift toward precision medicine.

A ten year randomized clinical trial found that a structured exercise regimen after cancer treatment cut mortality by 37% and reduced recurrence or new cancer risk by 28%, positioning exercise as a powerful addition to conventional therapies.

Camizestrant, an oral estrogen-receptor degrader for hormone‑positive, HER2‑negative metastatic breast cancer, delayed the progression by 56% when its use was guided by liquid biopsy monitoring. Aggressive advanced breast cancer further slowed disease progression and postponed chemotherapy needs.

A new AI-based test now has the ability to identify which prostate cancer patients are more likely to benefit from abiraterone, potentially democratizing access to this life-extending treatment and reducing healthcare disparities.

The ASCO conference underscored a paradigm shift in oncology toward personalized, less toxic, and multi-dimensional care—encompassing cutting-edge immunotherapies (CAR T and cellular therapies), precision tools like liquid biopsies and AI, and even lifestyle interventions like exercise being integrated as bona fide therapeutic strategies.