De Palma and colleagues develop a dendritic cell therapy based on dendritic cell progenitors engineered to produce IL-12 and FLT3L and show antigen-agnostic reduction of tumor burden that can be exploited for combination therapy in glioma.

Palmer and colleagues present a computational model of drug additivity that can predict clinical efficacy for the majority of combination therapy trials in advanced cancer that led to US Food and Drug Administration approvals between 1995–2020.

Using whole-genome and single-cell RNA sequencing data of patients with multiple myeloma treated with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone and daratumumab, Maura et al. identify distinct genomic drivers and microenvironment changes affecting outcome.

In this Review, Konstantinopoulos and Matulonis discuss recent clinical advances in the treatment of ovarian cancer and reflect on persisting challenges.

De Palma and colleagues develop a dendritic cell therapy based on dendritic cell progenitors engineered to produce IL-12 and FLT3L and show antigen-agnostic reduction of tumor burden that can be exploited for combination therapy in glioma.

Palmer and colleagues present a computational model of drug additivity that can predict clinical efficacy for the majority of combination therapy trials in advanced cancer that led to US Food and Drug Administration approvals between 1995–2020.

Using whole-genome and single-cell RNA sequencing data of patients with multiple myeloma treated with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone and daratumumab, Maura et al. identify distinct genomic drivers and microenvironment changes affecting outcome.

Bruedigam et al. explore the mechanism of action and therapeutic benefit of telomerase inhibitor imetelstat in a collection of PDXs from patients with AML and demonstrate that, in combination with chemotherapy, it re-sensitizes treatment-resistant AML cells.

Wiita and colleagues use cross-linking mass spectrometry and glycoprotein surface capture to identify an activated conformation of integrin β₂ present on AML cells and develop CAR T cells that target this conformation antigen in preclinical models.

Abdel-Wahab and colleagues perform immunophenotyping of AML cells to identify AML-specific surface antigens and show that the RNA helicase U5 snRNP200 represents a therapeutic target for antibody therapy with optimized Fc receptor binding.

In delineating scientific findings, authors should avoid assertions of primacy and novelty, in favor of measured descriptions of advance and potential importance for the field.

Charles Swanton obtained a PhD from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories (now the Francis Crick Institute) in 1998 and completed his medical oncology and Cancer Research UK (CRUK)-funded postdoctoral clinical scientist training in 2008. He was appointed chair in personalized cancer medicine at the UCL Cancer Institute, and consultant thoracic medical oncologist at UCL Hospitals in 2011. In 2016, he was awarded a Napier Professor in Cancer by the Royal Society, and in 2017 he was appointed principal group leader of the Francis Crick Institute. He is co-director of the Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, and chief clinician of Cancer Research UK.

In combining technical innovation with foundational research, targeted therapies remain at the forefront of oncology drug discovery efforts.

Identifying different ways to stimulate the anti-tumor immune response is essential to enrich the immunotherapy arsenal with more and improved treatment options for patients.

Declaring competing interests is crucial for transparency and for the integrity of cancer research, publishing and healthcare. Critically evaluating where bias may lie is essential too.