April 1, 2026
By Tammy McCausland
Each May, the United States observes National Cancer Research Month, an initiative of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) that highlights the lifesaving power of scientific discovery.1 This year’s theme is “United by Cancer Research.”1 Cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the United States.
The U.S. federal government funds cancer research through the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2026, the NCI’s budget is approximately $7.35 billion, which will fund a wide range of research into prevention, treatment advancements, clinical trials, AI in cancer research and more. The private sector, non-profit organizations and philanthropic organizations also fund cancer research.
Several statistics underscore the importance of research. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 2,114,850 new cancer cases and 626,140 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the U.S. in 2026, which is roughly 5,800 new diagnoses every day.2 The five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined has climbed to 70% for people diagnosed between 2015 and 2021, up from just 49% in the mid-1970s.3 Since 1991, cancer mortality rates have fallen by 34%, a decline that has averted an estimated 4.8 million deaths.2 More than 18 million Americans are now living as cancer survivors—a figure unimaginable a generation ago.4
Research leads to advances in treatments, improved outcomes, increased survivorship and better quality of life. Immunotherapy, mRNA cancer vaccines and artificial intelligence (AI) are among the most promising advancements in cancer care.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy has emerged as one of the most transformative forces in oncology. In 2025, a landmark trial led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center revealed that nearly 80% of patients with tumors carrying the mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd) mutation were successfully treated with immunotherapy alone, obviating the need for surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.5 The results were published simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the AACR Annual Meeting. Experts anticipate continued advances in cellular therapies—including armored T-cell therapies, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies and bispecific antibodies—designed to work in cancers that have historically resisted immune-based treatment.6 Results from a clinical trial at Duke Health demonstrate the potential of immunotherapy as the initial treatment for patients with the most common type of colorectal cancer.7 This is a significant advancement given the alarming increase in rates of colorectal cancer with 1 in 5 people diagnosed under age 55.8
mRNA Cancer Vaccines
Messenger RNA (mRNA) is “a single-stranded molecule that delivers genetic information from DNA to direct the formation of proteins.”9 Researchers are adapting the same technology used to develop COVID-19 vaccines to train the immune system to recognize and attack individual tumors. mRNA vaccines are being tested in over 120 clinical trials for melanoma, lung cancer, pancreatic and brain cancers. Early-stage trials, including a personalized mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer, have produced durable immune responses lasting six or more years in some patients.10 Moderna and Merck have reported that their personalized mRNA therapy, in combination with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, cut the death rate for melanoma patients by 49% over five years.10
AI
AI is shifting cancer research from a reactive model to a predictive one. Increasingly, AI systems are functioning as “co-scientists,” generating drug candidates, prioritizing immunotherapy targets, and guiding experimental design.11 AI can process massive amounts of data much faster than humans can. Multimodal datasets (comprising genomics, imaging and clinical records) can be repurposed for many different tasks.12 AI models are detecting cancers before symptoms appear by identifying subtle tissue changes that are invisible to expert radiologists.13 AI is tackling recruitment bottlenecks to find eligible patients and increase enrollment in clinical trials.
Support Cancer Research
National Cancer Research Month is a reminder that scientific progress is not inevitable—it requires sustained commitment. Individuals can support cancer research organizations, participate in or refer patients to clinical trials, advocate with their elected representatives for research funding, and share awareness on social media using #CancerResearchMonth.
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