Dotti and colleagues show that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer T cells have superior antitumor activity compared with CAR-T cells, mediated through the elimination of CD1d-expressing tumor-associated macrophages, activation of dendritic cells and promotion of endogenous T cell responses.

Qui et al. perform co-detection by indexing profiling of 401 hepatocellular carcinoma patient samples and identify a role for vimentin^high macrophages in instructing an immune-suppressive microenvironment by enhancing the suppressive activity of regulatory T cells via interleukin-1β.

DiNardo et al. perform a phase 1b/2 clinical trial of telaglenastat (CB-839) in combination with azacytidine in persons with advanced myelodysplastic syndromes and report on the treatment safety and efficacy, including a definition of clinical responders.

Kalluri and colleagues use mammary carcinoma models to study the causes of metastatic organotropism and find an organ-specific role for angiopoietin 2 in driving lung metastasis through the suppression of the tight junction protein Claudin 5.

Dotti and colleagues show that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer T cells have superior antitumor activity compared with CAR-T cells, mediated through the elimination of CD1d-expressing tumor-associated macrophages, activation of dendritic cells and promotion of endogenous T cell responses.

Qui et al. perform co-detection by indexing profiling of 401 hepatocellular carcinoma patient samples and identify a role for vimentin^high macrophages in instructing an immune-suppressive microenvironment by enhancing the suppressive activity of regulatory T cells via interleukin-1β.

Dhanasekaran and colleagues study minimal residual disease in hepatocellular carcinoma using single-cell spatial transcriptomic and proteomic analysis and find a targetable role for immunosuppressive macrophages.

DiNardo et al. perform a phase 1b/2 clinical trial of telaglenastat (CB-839) in combination with azacytidine in persons with advanced myelodysplastic syndromes and report on the treatment safety and efficacy, including a definition of clinical responders.

Kalluri and colleagues use mammary carcinoma models to study the causes of metastatic organotropism and find an organ-specific role for angiopoietin 2 in driving lung metastasis through the suppression of the tight junction protein Claudin 5.

Perro and colleagues develop a CD3⁺ T cell engager co-targeting BCMA and CD38 to improve immunotherapy for multiple myeloma, demonstrate cytotoxicity in patient-derived samples and murine models and develop a quantitative systems pharmacology model.

Evidence-based reductions in cancer treatment that still preserve outcomes can result in an improved quality of life for patients and optimized healthcare resourcing. Using melanoma as an example, we define treatment deintensification, outlining barriers to its implementation, as well as existing guidance.

As quantum technology advances, it holds immense potential to accelerate oncology discovery through enhanced molecular modeling, genomic analysis, medical imaging, and quantum sensing.

Johanna Joyce received her PhD from the University of Cambridge, and did postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco. She then joined the faculty at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, becoming a tenured member in 2014. She moved to Switzerland in 2016, where she later served as the inaugural executive director of the Agora Cancer Center Lausanne. She is currently a member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and a professor at the University of Lausanne.

Gold-standard cancer data management is pivotal to enable precision medicine for European citizens. Achieving this goal relies on key elements: adopting standardized data formats, ensuring robust data privacy, educating professionals about the infrastructure’s benefits and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to transform cancer care.

Drug regulatory agencies in the USA and Europe have mechanisms to provide patients faster access to novel treatments, expecting that follow-up trials will confirm clinically meaningful results. However, some early approvals are subsequently withdrawn. Here we discuss the insights gained from withdrawn accelerated approvals for oncologic agents in the past decade.