In This Section

Register Today for AACR Annual Meeting 2026, April 17-22 in San Diego

February 17, 2026

Press conference schedule announced; housing deadline less than a month away

SAN DIEGO – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will host its 117th Annual Meeting from April 17-22, 2026, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Media interested in covering this meeting can register to attend in person or remotely through the virtual meeting platform.

The AACR Annual Meeting is the focal point of the cancer research community, offering approximately 22,000 scientists, clinicians, other healthcare professionals, survivors, patients, and advocates from around the world an opportunity to share and discuss the latest advances in basic, translational, and clinical cancer research and cancer-related population sciences. With a theme this year of “Precision • Partnership • Purpose: Advancing Cancer Science to Save Lives Globally,” the meeting will highlight new insights, approaches, technologies, and treatments that are driving progress against cancer.

View the preliminary program featuring presentations from leading international experts in cancer science and medicine.

MEDIA REGISTRATION

Journalists may register to attend in person in San Diego or remotely through the virtual meeting platform. Journalists planning to cover the meeting must register through the AACR public relations team using the form linked below to receive the embargoed press program and other important communications.

Journalists must provide official press credentials and bylined coverage to register as press. Before requesting registration, please review the full media registration requirements and embargo policies.

Journalists can request registration by filling out this online form.

HOUSING DEADLINE

To book an individual or group housing reservation, visit the Accommodations and Travel section on the AACR Annual Meeting website. The deadline for reserving a hotel room is Friday, March 6.  

For assistance, AACR Housing agents can be reached in the U.S. and Canada at 888-381-7166 or, for international callers, at 415-979-2262. Agents are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET.  

PRESS OPERATIONS AT AACR ANNUAL MEETING 2026

Press Conferences from April 19-21 in Room 26

Press conferences featuring noteworthy research from the AACR Annual Meeting are scheduled for the following times:

  • Sunday, April 19, 11 a.m. PT
  • Monday, April 20, 8 a.m. PT
  • Tuesday, April 21, 8 a.m. PT

Press conferences will be held in person and simultaneously broadcast through Zoom webinar for virtual attendees. Abstracts included in this year’s press program and additional details will be shared with registered reporters about a week before the meeting begins.

Press Room and Badge Pickup in Room 25 BC

The press room hours of operation are as follows:

  • Friday, April 17: 12-6 p.m. PT
  • Saturday, April 18-Tuesday, April 21: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. PT
  • Wednesday, April 22: 7 a.m.-12 p.m. PT

EMBARGO POLICY

Individuals registered as press for the AACR Annual Meeting agree to abide by all embargoes. Please review the AACR’s embargo policy. 

Abstracts are embargoed until the AACR publishes the abstract in the AACR’s Online Itinerary Planner at the time embargoes lift. The abstract release schedule is as follows: 

  • Full regular abstracts – TITLES AND TEXT – will be published on March 17, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. ET. 
  • Late-breaking and clinical trials abstracts – TITLES ONLY (no text) – will be published on March 17, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. ET. 
  • Late-breaking and clinical trials abstracts – TEXT – will be published on April 17, 2026, at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET.
  • E-posters will be available on the virtual meeting platform on April 17, 2026, at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET.

Abstracts selected for the official AACR Annual Meeting press program are embargoed until date and time of presentation during the Annual Meeting, either at an official AACR press conference or in a scientific session. Press program abstracts and press releases will be shared with registered reporters in advance of the meeting and made publicly available once the embargo lifts.

CONTACT

For more information on press operations at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, visit our newsroom or contact a member of the AACR public relations team: