Each year Clinical Cancer Advances: ASCO’s Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer highlights the most important clinical research advances of the past year, including the Advance of the Year, and identifies priority areas where the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) believes research efforts should be focused moving forward.
In 2020, ASCO names the Refinement of Surgical Treatment of Cancer as the Advance of the Year. Years of progress in developing new systemic cancer therapies has not only improved patient survival and quality of life but is now transforming surgical approaches to cancer treatment. The emergence of novel systemic therapies combined in new and better ways is significantly changing the role of cancer surgery. ASCO’s selection of Refinement of Surgical Treatment of Cancer as the 2020 Advance of the Year recognizes recent strides seen in the effectiveness of these treatments in reducing the amount of surgery, and even the need for it, while increasing the number of patients who can undergo surgery when needed.
Other advances highlighted in the report include progress in cancer prevention, molecular diagnostics, and cancer treatment—surgery, radiotherapy, combination therapy, immunotherapy, and other types of therapies.
The report also features ASCO’s 2020 list of Research Priorities to Accelerate Progress Against Cancer. These priorities represent promising areas of research that have the potential to significantly improve the knowledge base for clinical decision-making and address vital unmet needs in cancer care.
