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Program

All Times Are Eastern Time (ET)

Beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 2, and continuing all day Saturday, April 3, 2027, a program of Educational Sessions and Methods Workshops will be presented. The program on Saturday will conclude with the Discovery Science Plenary Session titled, Neural Circuits as Drivers of Tumor Progression, Immunity, and Therapy (4:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m.) The Opening Ceremony and the Opening Plenary Session will take place on Sunday morning, April 4. The meeting will conclude at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7.  

The 2027 Program in Progress follows:   

Educational Program: Educational Sessions and Methods Workshops  

The Educational Program is an integral part of the meeting and provides attendees with an opportunity to expand their knowledge base in new and exciting fields. The Educational Program consists of more than 65 unique sessions covering all areas of cancer research and features updates on critical topics and new technologies. As part of these sessions, the following popular sessions and topics will be included.

  • Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy for Nonimmunologists. This exciting session is part of the yearly programming presented at the AACR Annual Meeting and organized in conjunction with the AACR Cancer Immunology Working Group. The session provides a comprehensive review of hot topics in the field and allows ample time for questions from the audience.  
  • Chemistry to the Clinic. This multi-part series, organized in conjunction with the AACR Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group, provides meeting attendees with foundational knowledge of critical elements of the cancer drug design and development process, such as lead optimization and identification of molecular targets and novel drug modalities.  
  • Clinical Trial Design. These Methods Workshops will provide attendees with a historical and methodologic understanding of clinical trials and demonstrate how to design an appropriate trial to answer the scientific questions presented by emerging treatments. Sessions will also focus on biostatistics in clinical trials.  

Plenary Sessions  

Saturday, April 3, 2027  
Discovery Science Plenary  
Neural Circuits as Drivers of Tumor Progression, Immunity, and Therapy 
Chair: Frank Winkler, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany 

  • Michelle L. Monje, Stanford University, Stanford, California
  • Shawn Hervey-Jumper, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
  • Susan M. Kaech, Allen Institute, Seattle, Washinton
  • Erica Sloan, Monash University, Clayton, Australia 

Sunday, April 4, 2027  
Opening Plenary  
Delivering Discovery Science: The Bridge to Breakthrough Therapeutics  
Cochairs: Sheila A. Stewart, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; Kurt A. Schalper, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut  

  • Stephen Quake, Stanford University, Stanford, California
  • Caroline Chung, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • Alessio Ciulli, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom 
  • Elizabeth M. Jaffee, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland   

Monday, April 5, 2027  
Consequences of Stress in Cancer Biology and Population Health 
Chair: Sandra S. McAllister, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

  • Scott W. Lowe, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
  • Mikala Egeblad, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
  • James V. DeGregori, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
  • Scarlett Lin Gomez, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 

Tuesday, April 6, 2027  
Cancer Adaptation: How Tumors Arise, Evade, and Persist  
Chair: Ruibao Ren, Hainan Medical University, Hainan, China 

  • Gabriel A. Rabinovich, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina 
  • Kornelia Polyak, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 
  • Lieping Chen, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Vera Gorbunova, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

Wednesday, April 7, 2027  
Cancer Beyond the Cell: Ecosystem Control of Tumor Evolution and Therapeutic Avenues  
Chair: Ruth Scherz-Shouval, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 

  • Peter Friedl, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands 
  • Shannon J. Turley, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, California 
  • Costas A. Lyssiotis, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Lisa M. Coussens, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon

 AACR Annual Meeting 2027 Highlights
Cochairs: Sheila A. Stewart, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; Kurt A. Schalper, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut  
Speakers to be announced  

 Major Symposia 

  • AI/ML-Driven Data Fusion for Discovery and Interpretability Across the Cancer Continuum 
  • All-in Precision Oncology 
  • B Cells and Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in Anti-Tumor Immunity 
  • The Body as the Battlefield: Systemic Physiology, Metabolism, and Cancer Control 
  • Cancer Evolution Across Continuous Microenvironmental Gradients: Integrating Genetic and Non-Genetic Sources of Diversity 
  • Centromere and Telomere Biology in Cancer: Mechanisms of Genome Instability and Cellular Reprogramming 
  • Coming of Age: Combinatorial DNA Damage Therapeutics 
  • Conquering the Next “Undruggables”: What’s Next after the Ras Success? 
  • DNA Mutation and Repair: A Double-Edged Sword in Biology, Aging, and Cancer 
  • Exploiting RNA Vulnerabilities in Cancer 
  • Fibroinflammation and Fibrosis: Stromal Drivers of Tumor Progression and Therapy Resistance 
  • FLASH Radiotherapy 
  • Fusion Driven Pediatric and Adult Cancers 
  • The Hidden Circulatory System of Tumors: Tumor Interstitial Fluid as a Regulatory Compartment 
  • Hidden Coding Potential in Cancer: Small Open Reading Frames and Microproteins 
  • Immune Aging Across the Cancer Continuum: From Tumor Initiation to Therapeutic Response 
  • Immune Vulnerabilities of Minimal Residual Disease 
  • Impact of Pregnancy and Postpartum Changes on Cancer 
  • Infectious Agents and Cancer: Emerging Insights into Microbial Drivers of Tumorigenesis 
  • Inflamed Microenvironments: Immune–Stromal Drivers of Cancer Progression 
  • Lineage Plasticity and Resistance to Therapy across Disease Contexts 
  • Management of Pediatric Low-Grade Gliomas: From Diagnosis to Long-Term Follow-Up 
  • Mechanisms of Resistance to KRAS Inhibitors in Metastatic Disease 
  • Mechanistic Insights into Biological Sex and Cancer Growth 
  • Metastatic Dormancy: Targeting the Seeds Before They Grow 
  • Microbiome–Immune Crosstalk in Cancer: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Intervention 
  • Minimal Residual Disease and the Future of Adaptive Perioperative Therapy 
  • Minorities in Cancer Research Scientific Symposium 
  • Molecular Radiology and Advanced Computational Analysis to Support Biological Discoveries and Cancer Treatment 
  • Molecularly Targeted Radiation: Immune Responses, Biomarkers, and Mechanisms of Resistance 
  • New Insights into Protein Homeostasis 
  • The New Rules of Cancer Evolution: Plasticity ecDNA and Non-Genetic Inheritance 
  • Next Generation CARs: CAR NK, DC, and Macrophages 
  • Presidential Select Symposium: From Cancer Disparities to Cancer Discovery— How Ancestry, Environment, and Structural Inequity Shape Tumor Biology 
  • Proximal Biology for Therapeutic Benefit: Advances in Engineering de novo Interactions for Clinical Impact 
  • Reimagining Oncology Trial Design: Dose Optimization for Late-Onset Toxicities 
  • RLT: Mechanisms of Action, Tumor Microenvironment, and Emerging Combination Therapies 
  • Senescence in Cancer: Friend or Foe? 
  • Sex Differences in Cancer: Hormonal and Non-Hormonal Drivers of Risk and Progression 
  • The Sleeping Threat: Cancer Dormancy, Immune Tolerance, and Relapse 
  • Surgery as a Platform for Precision Oncology: Advancing the Science of Neoadjuvant Therapy 
  • Systemic Drivers of Cancer Cachexia 
  • Systemic Sabotage: Distal Rewiring of Host Physiology in Cancer Progression 
  • T Cells and Tregs in Cancer: Shaping Response and Resistance 
  • Targeting the Cell Cycle with Next-Generation CDK Inhibitors 
  • Treating Cancer at the Right Time: Harnessing Circadian Rhythms for Clinical Benefit 
  • Why Are Cancers Emerging Earlier? Prevention and Early Detection from Childhood to Young Adulthood 
  • Wired to Resist: Neural Stromal Rewiring in Tumor Progression, Systemic Toxicity, and Quality of Life 

Advances in Diagnostics and Therapeutics 

  • Advanced Functional Diagnostics in Cancer to Support Drug Development and Patient Care 
  • Breaking Stromal Barriers: Rethinking Tumor Microenvironment Targeting in Cancer 
  • Circulating Tumor DNA in Early-Stage Cancer: Using Ultra-Sensitive Assays to Detect Minimal Residual Disease 
  • Decoding the Molecular Tumor Structure using Frontier AI Pathology Models and High Dimensional Spatial Analysis 
  • From Discovery to Clinical Impact: Molecular Glues and Degraders in the Clinic 
  • Innovations in Antibody-Drug Conjugate Development for Enhanced Efficacy and Tolerability 
  • Mechanisms that Drive Response and Resistance to Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy 
  • Next-Generation ADCs: From Design to Impact  
  • Next-Generation Radioligand Therapies: New Isotopes, Smarter Design, and Rational Combinations 
  • Novel Therapeutic Strategies in the Dual Treatment of Cancer and Cachexia 
  • RNA Cancer Vaccines: Expanding the Neoantigen Landscape from Discovery to Clinical Translation 
  • RNA Therapeutics in Cancer: From Molecular Engineering to Targeted Delivery and Clinical Translation 

Advances in Early Detection and Interception 

  • Cancer Vaccines in Early Stages: Prophylactic and Adjuvant Use 
  • Lessons Learned from Cancer Predisposition Syndromes 
  • Mechanism-based Early Detection for Breast Cancer 

Advances in Hematologic Malignancies 

  • Advances in Myeloid Malignancies: New Insights and Therapeutic Opportunities in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and Myelofibrosis 
  • Evaluation and Treatment of Minimal Residual Disease in Hematologic Malignancies 
  • Mechanisms of Resistance in Hematologic Malignancies 

Advances in Organ Site Research 

  • Advances in the Biology and Management of Thyroid Cancer 
  • Advances in Gastric Cancer Research 
  • Advances in Gynecologic Cancer Research 
  • Advancing Treatment Paradigms in Pancreatic Cancer 
  • Beyond ESR1: Emerging Mechanisms of Endocrine Resistance in ER+ Breast Cancer 
  • Early Lung Cancer Initiation 
  • Emerging Insights in Kidney Cancer 
  • Emerging Opportunities in Prostate and Bladder Cancer 
  • Inflammation, Evolution, and Heterogeneity in Colorectal Cancer 
  • Latest Advances in Translational Research from the 2026 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 
  • Liver Metastases: Challenges and Opportunities 
  • Optimal Diagnosis and Molecular Monitoring of Patients with Resectable Lung Cancer 
  • Rare and Understudied Melanoma Subtypes: Biology, Clinical Challenges, and Emerging Therapies 

Advances in Population Sciences 

  • PFAS and Cancer Risk: Measurement and Study Design Challenges, Current Knowledge, and Future Directions 
  • Toxic Innovation: Bridging the Gap Between Breakthrough Science and Global Access 

Advances in Prevention Research 

  • The Impact of Exercise on Cancer Progression and Treatment Response 
  • The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Early Detection and Prevention 

Advances in the Science of Cancer Health Disparities 

  • Cancer Drug Development for the Real World: Diversity, Resistance, Toxicity, and Access 

Advances in Survivorship Research 

  • Beyond Chronological Age: Biological Aging and Its Impact on Cancer Development, Treatment, and Survivorship 

Advances in Technologies 

  • AI-Driven Biomedical Reasoning in Oncology: From First Principles to Patient Trajectories 
  • Emerging Technologies and Biological Insights Shaping Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy 
  • From Sequence to Function: AI Approaches to the Noncoding Cancer Genome 
  • Implementation and Impact of Advanced Digital Pathology Analysis for Research and Clinic 

Special Sessions 

  • AACR-ASCO Joint Session 
  • AACR-JCA Joint Session: Stromal Dynamics in Metastasis—Cancer-associated Fibroblasts, Organ-specific Niches, and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities 

Debates 

  • The New Modeling Frontier: NAMs, AI, and Innovation 
  • When to Treat, or Not to Treat: Smoldering Myeloma as a Case Study 

Forums 

  • Balancing Efficacy and Toxicity in Cancer Care 
  • Bringing Physical Sciences into Cancer Biology and Predictive Medicine 
  • Building the AI Evaluation Infrastructure that Will Drive Innovative Treatments 
  • Cell Cycle State Dynamics and Therapeutic Response 
  • Clinical Trials in Rare Genomic Subsets: Precision Medicine or Statistical Impossibility? 
  • From Risk to Response: A 360° Multimodal Approach to Hereditary and Pediatric Cancer Detection 
  • GLP-1s: Good, Bad, or Both in Cancer? 
  • Innovative and Adaptive Clinical Trial Designs in Oncology 
  • Is Oligometastatic Disease Biologically Distinct—or Simply Early Dissemination? 
  • The Missing Genomes, Missing Exposures, and Missing Patients: Building the Next Generation of Inclusive Cancer Discovery Platforms 
  • When to Tell and When Not to Tell: The Ethics and Science of Multi-Cancer Early Detection 

New Drugs on the Horizon Sessions  

Held in collaboration with the AACR Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group, this special three-part session series features first disclosures of the chemistry and biology of small- and large-molecule agents that are currently being or will soon be actively investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. The abstract submission and review process is distinct from the regular and late-breaking abstract submission processes. The deadline to submit an abstract for consideration is November 1. For more information, visit the New Drugs on the Horizon page.

The Regulatory Science and Policy Track and Science and Health Policy Program  

Decisions made by policymakers in Washington, DC, have a direct impact on cancer research and the progress being made for patients with cancer in the United States and throughout the world. AACR sponsors sessions with policymakers, academic researchers, patient advocates, cancer survivors, and industry representatives to foster dialogue about important topics in science and health policy as well as in the field of regulatory science and policy.  

The Science and Health Policy Track includes sessions that bring together scientific leaders, policy experts, and advocates to engage the research community in dynamic discussions of emerging science and health policy issues that affect researchers and patients with cancer. Some of the past topics covered included discussions surrounding the current federal funding landscape, federal grant policies, cancer health disparities, the importance of international collaboration, initiatives to reduce the use of animals in research, challenges facing the cancer research workforce, health care coverage issues for patients with cancer, evidence-based policy solutions to address and modify cancer risk factors including tobacco and emerging nicotine product use, and ways to improve screening uptake of proven early detection strategies.  

The Regulatory Science and Policy Track includes informative sessions designed to highlight recent regulatory developments and provide an open forum for the consideration of issues that the FDA and those involved in drug development face as both groups seek to accelerate the pace of approval of safe and effective treatments for patients with cancer. These sessions offer an opportunity for attendees to discuss cutting-edge issues in cancer drug, biologic, and diagnostic regulation with stakeholders from academia, industry, advocacy, and government. Past regulatory science and policy topics have included discussions focused on modernizing the framework for clinical trials to improve access to new and innovative therapies, advancing the use of novel endpoints, promoting patient-centered drug development, sharing strategies for increasing participation of underrepresented populations in clinical trials, using real-world evidence to improve oncology drug development, advancing the development of liquid biopsy tests, applying artificial intelligence/machine learning to regulatory decision-making, and determining better ways to ensure global harmonization across the world’s regulatory agencies.  

The Science of Survivorship Track includes sessions highlighting new and high-value areas of research to address the array of challenges facing long-term cancer survivors. Sessions invite trans-sector discussion among the survivor and advocacy communities, basic and clinical researchers, industry representatives, health care providers, and government officials. Past science of survivorship topics included fear of recurrence and second cancers, aging and cancer relevant issues, financial strain associated with cancer treatments, long-term survivorship in vulnerable populations, development of new survivorship models, patient-reported outcomes, data sharing, and patient engagement.