The Medical Advisor

Despite  trillions spent on cancer research  ( The Lancet Oncology ), cancer still  kills around 10 million people a year  ( WHO ) and is a leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization. Cancer research continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, with new treatments offering hope to millions of patients worldwide. The 2026 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting took place in San Diego from April 17-22 and reflected how cancer research continues to evolve. Progress is increasingly driven by how advances across biology, technology, and policy come together to shape how we understand disease, develop new treatments, and bring them into practice. A central theme this year was the continued focus on cancer as more than just a collection of tumor cells. It is shaped by a complex ecosystem — immune cells, surrounding tissue, metabolism, and even the microbiome — all interacting in dynamic ways. Credit:  ...

Within modern evidence-based medicine, case series and case reports are frequently dismissed as “anecdotal” and therefore regarded as scientifically weak. In oncology in particular, the prevailing paradigm holds that only large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can establish the validity of a treatment. While such trials are essential for determining the efficacy and safety of a single intervention under controlled conditions, the history of medicine consistently demonstrates that discovery rarely begins with randomization—it begins with observation. Clinicians notice unexpected responses in individual patients; outcomes emerge that defy conventional expectations; and, over time, patterns begin to form. It is also important to recognize the structural limitations of the current research ecosystem. Large RCTs are often impractical for off-label or repurposed strategies, particularly those involving inexpensive agents, dietary interventions, or lifestyle modifications. These approache...