The International Congress on Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT), dubbed ‘the home of phase I oncology’, was held for the seventeenth time this year and for the second year under the auspices of ESMO. The translational research and early clinical data presented at this engaging meeting are often a bellwether and driver of future advances in cancer therapy. This year, a number of key themes emerged.

In his opening address, the current ESMO President, Josep Tabernero, emphasized the ESMO 2020 Vision, with three main pillars: integrated cancer care, specialized education and sustainable cancer care. These aims were evident at TAT 2019 and resonate with the values of our journal.

Geoffrey Shapiro received the TAT 2019 Honorary Award and delivered a keynote lecture focused on the continuing clinical development of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, in which his work has been instrumental. He alluded to the potential of biomarker research to improve outcomes with CDK4/6 inhibitors, in the approved indications in breast cancer and beyond, as well as inhibitors of other CDKs. In addition, the need to consider the effects of these agents on the immune tumour microenvironment was underscored. Correspondingly, data presented by Gordon Freeman and Benjamin Izar demonstrated interactions between CDK4/6 activity and suppression of T cell responses, thus highlighting the potential of CDK4/6 inhibitors as rational drug partners for immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Indeed, the combination of ICIs with a range of other therapies was a recurring theme. However, an update from the Methodology for the Development of Innovative Cancer Therapies (MDICT) Task Force suggested that the sheer number of immunotherapies and related trials, particularly of combination therapies, is putting pressure on patient resources. Accordingly, the importance of rational combinations, novel preclinical models, and appropriate and maximally informative trial designs (including the inclusion of more adolescents and young adults) was discussed. Other notable topics included liquid biopsy approaches to enhancing the pharmacological audit trail, as well as novel strategies for targeting DNA repair, RAS-mutant cancers and oncogenic fusions (all of which have been covered extensively in this journal). We look forward to seeing these advances permeate into future clinical practice.