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American Library Association releases 2025 Most Challenged Books List as National Library Week Begins
CHICAGO, Illinois, April 20 [Category: Libraries] (TNSrpt) -- The American Library Association posted the following news release:
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American Library Association releases 2025 Most Challenged Books List as National Library Week Begins
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State of America's Libraries Report reveals 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, marking the second-highest total on record
CHICAGO - Today the American Library Association (ALA) releases its highly anticipated Top 11 Most Challenged Books List of 2025 as part of the 2026 State of America's Libraries Report, offering a window into the ongoing challenges
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, April 20 [Category: Libraries] (TNSrpt) -- The American Library Association posted the following news release:
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American Library Association releases 2025 Most Challenged Books List as National Library Week Begins
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State of America's Libraries Report reveals 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, marking the second-highest total on record
CHICAGO - Today the American Library Association (ALA) releases its highly anticipated Top 11 Most Challenged Books List of 2025 as part of the 2026 State of America's Libraries Report, offering a window into the ongoing challengeslibraries continue to face head-on.
As the nation's libraries unite to celebrate the start of National Library Week and communities everywhere recognize the valuable contribution of America's libraries and the people who power them, library workers around the country continue to grapple with censorship challenges and threats to their livelihood.
ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA. The highest ever documented was 4,240 in 2023.
Of the unique titles challenged in 2025, 1,671 (40%) represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.
"Libraries exist to make space for every story and every lived experience," said ALA President Sam Helmick. "As we celebrate National Library Week, we reaffirm that libraries are places for knowledge, for access, and for all."
ALA documented 713 attempts to censor library materials and services, 487 of which targeted books. The Top 11 Most Targeted Titles in 2025 were:
1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
5. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
In 2025, 92 percent of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials and decision makers, up from 72 percent in 2024. Less than 3 percent of challenges originated from individual parents.
"In 2025, book bans were not sparked by concerned parents, and they were not the result of local grassroots efforts," said Sarah Lamdan, Executive Director of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. "They were part of a well-funded, politically-driven campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals and communities."
ALA defines a "ban" as the removal of materials from a library based on the objections of a person or group. A "challenge" is an attempt to have a library resource removed, or access to it restricted, based on the objections of a person or group. In 2025, OIF documented 5,668 books banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged). An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions such as relocation or requiring parental permission. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990-2025.
To help inform library workers and the public about censorship issues, OIF recently launched several new and updated resources, including the Censorship Search Portal, which allows people to search OIF's expansive database to learn about efforts to ban books; the Censorship Cases Bot on Bluesky, which provides real-time updates on the latest book censorship litigation in partnership with the Free Law Project; and the eleventh edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual, which offers up-to-date insights on protecting intellectual freedom, fighting censorship, safeguarding privacy, and more.
Amid the censorship challenges facing the nation's libraries, National Library Week's theme of "Finding Your Joy" is an invitation for everyone to explore and discover what sparks joy in them at the library. Throughout the week, Honorary Chair Mychal Threets will elevate the important role libraries and library workers play in schools and communities.
NLW 2026 Celebration Days:
Monday, April 20: Right to Read Day, a day for readers, advocates, and library lovers to take action to protect, defend, and celebrate the right to read.
Tuesday, April 21: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators, and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.
Wednesday, April 22: National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day), a day to celebrate library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are.
Thursday, April 23: Take Action for Libraries Day, ALA is calling on library supporters to contact their congressmembers and voice opposition to the federal book banning bill, H.R. 7661."
ALA is also pleased to share the theme of Banned Books Week 2026 (October 4-10, 2026), "Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read." This year's campaign features three illustrations that elevate the ways in which libraries and access to information enrich our lives. The artwork will be unveiled next week, and posters, apparel, and more will be available in the ALA Store and Library Gift Shop on April 30.
To learn more about censorship in libraries and find resources for preventing and responding to book bans, visit ALA.org/BBooks,
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America's libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
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REPORT: https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/state-of-americas-libraries-report-2026-WEB-acc-4.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.ala.org/news/2026/04/american-library-association-releases-2025-most-challenged-books-list-national-library
American Association for Cancer Research Recognizes 2025-2026 Research Grantees
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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American Association for Cancer Research Recognizes 2025-2026 Research Grantees
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PHILADELPHIA - The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is proud to announce its newest class of grant recipients.
Since 1993, the AACR has awarded more than $551 million through more than 1,100 research grants to support scientists in advancing cancer research, improving detection methods, enhancing prevention strategies, and developing new cancer treatments.
... Show Full Article
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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American Association for Cancer Research Recognizes 2025-2026 Research Grantees
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PHILADELPHIA - The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is proud to announce its newest class of grant recipients.
Since 1993, the AACR has awarded more than $551 million through more than 1,100 research grants to support scientists in advancing cancer research, improving detection methods, enhancing prevention strategies, and developing new cancer treatments.These grants support researchers both domestically and internationally at every stage of their careers, representing a global commitment to preventing and curing cancer.
Fellowships
2025 AACR Hematologic Malignancies Research Fellowship
* Sean E. Healton, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
"Investigating chromatin-based mechanisms of B cell epigenetic plasticity and lymphomagenesis"
2025 AACR-ALK Positive Lung Cancer Research Fellowship
* Alice Tzeng, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
"Epigenetic drivers of resistance to lorlatinib in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive lung cancer"
2025 AACR-AstraZeneca Endometrial Cancer Research Fellowship
* Farhia Kabeer, MBBS, PhD, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
"Therapeutic targeting of deficient mismatch repair endometrial cancers beyond immune checkpoints"
2025 AACR-EMD Serono "I'M IN" Oncodisparity Fellowship in Lung and Urothelial Cancers
* Mohamed Osman, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
"Functionally active ecDNA in African Americans drives oncogenic pathways forming therapeutic targets"
* Dena P. Rhinehart, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
"Identifying key targets for and feasibility of improving molecular testing for non-small cell lung cancer in the rural US"
2025 AACR-Exelixis Renal Cell Carcinoma Research Fellowship
* Zachary A. Yochum, MD, PhD, Yale University, New Haven, CT
"Determining the role of endogenous retroviruses in adaptive immune responses in renal cell carcinoma"
2025 AACR-Incyte Immuno-oncology Research Fellowship
* Emma MCM Guilbaud, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
"Targeting BCL2 and mitophagy to enhance the immunostimulatory effects of radiation in breast cancer"
2025 AACR-John and Elizabeth Leonard Family Foundation Basic Cancer Research Fellowship
* Putzer J. Hung, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
"Regulation of ribosomal RNA synthesis in acute myeloid leukemia"
2025 AACR-Johnson & Johnson Clinical Oncology Research (CORE) Training Fellowship
* Yu Fujiwara, MD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
2025 AACR-Johnson & Johnson Interventional Oncology Stimulating Therapeutic Advances through Research Training (START) Grant
* Angel Ramirez-Fernandez, PharmD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
"Adjuvant-enhanced 'off-the-shelf' mKRAS-TCR gd T cells to overcome resistance in lung carcinoma"
2025 AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Research Fellowship
* Malaka Ameratunga, MBBS, PhD, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
"TRIUMPH - Tebentafusp and Roginolisib in Uveal Melanoma to Prolong T-cell Homeostasis"
2025 AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship in Memory of Willie Tichenor
* Janeala Morsby, PhD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
"Exploring the mechanism of synergy of the dual inhibition of ATM and PARP in pediatric osteosarcoma"
2025 AACR-Sontag Foundation Brain Cancer Research Fellowship
* Siva Kumar Natarajan, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
"Elucidating the oncogenic role of itaconate in aggressive, ZFTA-RELA fusion-driven ependymomas"
2025 AACR-Swim Across America Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship
* Helena Yu, MD, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA
"Targeting developmental changes in proteostasis to improve HSC transplant for pediatric cancer patients"
2025 The Bosarge Family Foundation-Waun Ki Hong Scholar Award for Regenerative Cancer Medicine
* Yoojeong Seo, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
"Manipulating cell plasticity to alleviate radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis"
2025 Conquer Cancer-AACR Young Investigator Award for Translational Cancer Research
* Jaewon Lee, MD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
"Liquid biopsy-based molecular subtyping of pancreatic cancers"
2026 AACR-Conquer Cancer(r), the ASCO Foundation Young Investigator Award for Translational Cancer Research
* Amanda Truong, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
"Leveraging desmoplastic melanoma signatures to enhance immunotherapy response"
2026 AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Research Fellowship
* Ronen Stoff, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Predicting efficacy and toxicity of systemic & liver-directed therapies in metastatic uveal melanoma"
2026 AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship in Memory of Willie Tichenor
* Md Imdadul H. Khan, PhD, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
"Therapeutic potential of a novel CBP/p300 inhibitor in fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma"
Career Development Awards
2025 AACR Career Development Award in Lung Cancer Research
* Lisa Derosa, MD, PhD, HDR, Gustave Roussy, Paris, France
"RESET - Rehabilitation of the holosystem via Ecological Shifts and Environmental Tuning"
2025 AACR Career Development Award in Lung Cancer Research
* Pedro Torres-Ayuso, PhD, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
"Targeting the TNIK Signaling Network to reverse EMT and fibrosis in lung squamous cell carcinoma"
2025 AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award
* Carman M. Li, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
"Harness insights from chromatin priming for early interception of basal-like breast cancer"
2025 AACR-Novocure Career Development Award for Cancer Research
* Zhaohui Wang, PhD, Terasaki Institute, Los Angeles, CA
"Overcoming resistance in IDH-mutant gliomas with TTFields and vorasidenib"
2025 AACR-St. Baldrick's Foundation Pediatric Cancer Research Grant
* Nicole Michmerhuizen, PhD, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
2025 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Award to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
* Maria Teresita Branham, PhD, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
"Cellular reprogramming: a novel approach to tackle triple-negative breast cancer"
* Temidayo A. Fadelu, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
"Developing a multi-modal breast cancer stigma mitigating intervention in Rwanda"
* Mercedes B. Fuertes, PhD, Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IByME-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
"Monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy against MICA in triple-negative breast cancer"
* Fernanda G. Kugeratski, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
"Defining the role of LRRC17+ CAFs in the breast tumor microenvironment"
* Fresia G. Pareja, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
"Precision strategies for ADC-based therapeutics in lobular breast cancer"
2025 Victoria's Secret Global Fund for Women's Cancers Career Development Award, in partnership with Pelotonia & AACR
* Anke Nijhuis, PhD, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
"Targeting RNA splicing to improve therapies for ovarian high grade serous carcinoma"
* Frances K. Turrell, PhD, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
"The aging tumor microenvironment - novel immunotherapy approaches for ER+ breast cancer"
* Heather M. Whitney, PhD, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
"An AI-based equitable 'virtual' biopsy pipeline for ovarian cancer diagnosis on ultrasound"
* Eunhee Yi, PhD, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
"Extrachromosomal DNA as a mechanism for therapy resistance in breast cancer"
* Xiaochen Zhang, MBBS, MPH, PhD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
"A just-in-time adaptive lifestyle program for rural breast and endometrial cancer survivors"
2026 AACR Trailblazer Cancer Research Grant for Early-Stage Investigators
* Ana Luisa Correia, PhD, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
"Neuro-immune regulation of metastatic breast cancer dormancy"
* Karen O. Dixon, PhD, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
"Identifying and disrupting neuro-immune circuits in lung cancer"
* Justin Milner, PhD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
"Engineering synthetic T cell states to treat solid cancers"
* Nathan H. Parker, PhD, MPH, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
"Exercise prehabilitation to improve chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy outcomes"
* Theodore L. Roth, MD, PhD, Stanford University and Arc Institute, Palo Alto, CA
"Universal discovery of patient-specific cellular immunotherapies"
* Jonathan M. Tsai, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
"Therapeutic alteration of androgen receptor chromatin dynamics"
* Jessalyn M. Ubellacker, MD, PhD, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
"Inducing lipid peroxidation in lymph node cancer cells to promote systemic immunogenicity"
* Natalie Vokes, MD, MPhil, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
"Dissecting mechanisms of therapeutic resistance and vulnerabilities in CDKN2A/MTAP-deleted NSCLC"
* Samir Zaidi, MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
"Mechanisms of cellular plasticity in neuroendocrine prostate cancer initiation"
2026 Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in Honor of John Robert Lewis
* Dig B. Mahat, PhD, Columbia University, New York, NY
"Targeting immune cell enhancers propagating immunosuppression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma"
2026 Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
* Sandra Misale, PhD, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
"HER2 targeting in KRAS mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma"
Independent Investigator Awards
2025 AACR Grant for Innovative Bladder Cancer Research
* Carissa Chu, MD, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
"Enhancing nectin-4-targeting therapy in urothelial carcinoma with retinoic acid"
* Bishoy M. Faltas, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
"Characterization of CDADC1, a putative CTP deaminase co-deleted with RB1 in bladder cancer"
2025 AACR-Hope Scarves Metastatic Breast Cancer Innovation and Discovery Grant
* Gloria B. Kim, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ
"In vivo delivery of polycistronic mRNA-LNPs reprograms CAR T cells for metastatic TNBC therapy"
2025 AACR-KidneyCAN Kidney Cancer Innovation and Discovery Grant
* Ralph J. DeBerardinis, MD, PhD, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
"Inhibiting & imaging mitochondrial enablers of kidney cancer progression"
* Astgik Petrosyan, PhD, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA
"Targeting the extracellular matrix in kidney cancer"
* Srinivas R. Viswanathan, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
"Phenotypic screening for small molecule inhibitors of oncogenic TFE3 fusions"
2025 AACR-Novocure Cancer Research Grant
* Milan G. Chheda, MD, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
"Enhancing tumor treating field efficacy with oncolytic therapy"
* Ioannis Verginadis, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
"Therapeutic synergy of TTFields with radiation therapy and immunotherapy in preclinical PDAC models"
2025 AACR-Ocular Melanoma Foundation Miriam Counts Innovation and Discovery Grant
* William B. Dalton, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
"Targeting SF3B1-mutant uveal melanoma with MISIL"
* Nicholas M. Riley, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
"Leveraging the sialic acid-Siglec axis to defining actionable targets for uveal melanoma"
2025 Friends of the AACR Foundation Party with a Purpose Early Career Investigator Award
* Alexander Huang, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Victoria's Secret Global Fund for Women's Cancers Rising Innovator Grant, in partnership with Pelotonia and AACR
* Cecil Han, PhD, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
"Targeting deubiquitin signaling in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma plasticity"
* Li Liu, PhD, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
"Imaging-guided assessment of synergistic treatments for breast cancer"
* Melanie R. Rutkowski, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
"Investigating how TLR5 signaling on myeloid cells promotes immune therapy failure for ovarian cancer"
2026 AACR Trailblazer Research Grants for Mid-Career Investigators
* Effie Apostolou, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
"Targeting three-dimensional regulatory nodes to rewire cancer programs"
* Adrienne A. Boire, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
"Cancer communication across blood-brain barriers"
* Carla J. Chibwesha, MD, MSc, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
"Improving cervical precancer treatment outcomes in women with HIV"
* Yifat Merbl, PhD, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
"Induced SUMOylation as a novel approach for cancer treatment"
* Aaron M. Newman, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
"Real-time profiling of tumor microenvironment dynamics to decode immunotherapy response in melanoma"
* Tuomas Tammela, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
"Interrogating epithelial injury-associated tissue programs in cancer plasticity"
2026 AACR-Torrey Coast Foundation Transpacific Gastric and Esophageal Cancer Research Partnership Grant
* Samuel J. Klempner, MD, Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, and Jeeyun Lee, MD, PhD, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
"Optimizing T cell engagers in gastric cancer"
* Timothy Wang, MD, Columbia University, New York, NY, and Yoku Hayakawa, MD, PhD, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
"Targeting neuro-immune crosstalk to overcome immunosuppression in diffuse gastric cancer"
2026 Mark Foundation-AACR-Lustgarten Foundation Early Detection Awards
* Christina Curtis, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
"Digital pathology diagnostics for robust stratification of esophageal cancer risk"
* Dan-Avi Landau, MD, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
"Solving the early detection challenge in ovarian cancer through transformative liquid biopsy innovation"
* Trevor Pugh, PhD, University Health Network, Ontario, Canada
"Towards a unified platform for Li-Fraumeni syndrome cancer risk prediction and cell-free DNA surveillance"
* Nikolaos Sgourakis, PhD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
"Programmable recognition of KRAS neoantigens for early cancer diagnostics across patients"
* Peter Sorger, PhD, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
"Molecular profiling of ovarian cancer precursors to transform early detection and precancer stratification"
* Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
"Detection and interception of KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer using small molecule RAS(ON) inhibitors"
Grants Supporting Researchers in Africa
2025 Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat)
* Anthony Kayiira, MD, MMed, MSc, Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala, Uganda
"Developing strategies for implementing oncofertility services for pediatric and AYA cancer survivors"
* Kija Luhuti, MD, MPH, Muhimbili University Health and Allied Sciences, Dar-es-Saleem, Tanzania
"A community-based pilot study for esophageal cancer screening in Tanzania"
* Adeleye Dorcas Omisore, MBBS, FWACS, FMCR, MSc, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife Ife, Nigeria
"Strengthening breast cancer awareness, education and early diagnosis capacity in southwest Nigeria"
Grants Supporting Researchers in Latin America
2025 AACR Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research in Cancer (MONARCA) Grant for Latin America
* Alejandro J. Cagnoni, PhD, Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IByME), Buenos Aires, Argentina
"Targeting Galectin-1 glycocheckpoint to overcome immunotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer"
* Florencia Cayrol, PhD, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas (BIOMED-UCA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
"Role of thyroid hormones on chromatin remodeling: Impact on HDACi therapy for T cell lymphoma"
* Tomas Dalotto-Moreno, PhD, Institute of Biology And Experimental Medicine (IByME), Buenos Aires, Argentina
"Translating glycocodes into novel immunotherapeutic strategies to prevent T cell exhaustion"
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Original text here: https://www.aacr.org/about-the-aacr/newsroom/news-releases/american-association-for-cancer-research-recognizes-2025-2026-research-grantees/
American Association for Cancer Research Inaugurates New Leadership During AACR Annual Meeting 2026
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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American Association for Cancer Research Inaugurates New Leadership During AACR Annual Meeting 2026
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Keith T. Flaherty, MD, FAACR, begins term as AACR President
SAN DIEGO - The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have welcomed Keith T. Flaherty, MD, Fellow of the AACR Academy, as AACR President for 2026-2027. He was inaugurated today at the AACR's Annual Business Meeting of Members, held during the AACR Annual Meeting
... Show Full Article
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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American Association for Cancer Research Inaugurates New Leadership During AACR Annual Meeting 2026
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Keith T. Flaherty, MD, FAACR, begins term as AACR President
SAN DIEGO - The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have welcomed Keith T. Flaherty, MD, Fellow of the AACR Academy, as AACR President for 2026-2027. He was inaugurated today at the AACR's Annual Business Meeting of Members, held during the AACR Annual Meeting2026 in San Diego, California.
Flaherty is director of clinical cancer research and the Richard Saltonstall Endowed Chair in Oncology at Mass General Cancer Center, a founding member of Mass General Brigham. He is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Flaherty's career has focused on understanding the molecular and clinical consequences of inhibiting oncogenic pathways in melanoma while establishing therapeutic approaches and constructing rational combinatorial therapies for the treatment of this disease. He has pioneered the development of targeted therapies matched to the genetic characteristics of a patient's tumor and led early clinical trials testing vemurafenib and other therapeutic agents for the treatment of melanoma. Through his work, Flaherty has translated discoveries about the BRAF V600E somatic mutation in cancer into effective therapies, including the FDA-approved combination targeted therapy regimens for melanoma.
"I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to serve as AACR President for the coming year," said Flaherty. "As we have seen at this year's Annual Meeting, the AACR is uniquely positioned to bridge cutting-edge discovery science and patient impact. During my tenure, I hope to bolster the organization's leadership in translational research by focusing on career development and mentorship of the next generation of translational investigators, particularly those aiming to address the needs of underserved populations."
Flaherty has been a member of the AACR since 2001 and was elected as a Fellow of the AACR Academy in 2023. He served with distinction on the AACR's Board of Directors from 2019 to 2022. Flaherty provides important guidance as a current member of the AACR Clinical Trials Advisory Council (2023-present) and the AACR Project GENIE External Advisory Board (2015-present). He is a former member of the AACR Exploratory IND/Phase 0 Clinical Trials Task Force (2021-2025), the Fellows of the AACR Academy Nominating Committee (2024-2025), the AACR COVID-19 and Cancer Task Force (2020-2022), the AACR Publications Committee (2014-2017), and the AACR NextGen Grants for Transformative Cancer Research Review Committee (2015).
Flaherty has played a critical role in shaping the AACR Annual Meetings by serving as chair (2023-2024), vice chair (2020-2021), and cochair (2012-2013, 2010) of the Annual Meeting Program Committee. He was a member of the Annual Meeting Clinical Trials Committee (2018-2020, 2016-2018, 2012-2013) and chair of the Clinical Trials and Clinical Pharmacology Section of the Annual Meeting Program Committee (2013). He has also helped to guide other AACR scientific conferences and workshops by serving as a member of the AACR Virtual Conference: COVID-19 and Cancer Program Committee (2020), a faculty member of the AACR Clinical Trial Design Part 1: Clinical Trial Design for Targeted Therapies Workshop (2018), and chair of the AACR Special Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine (2010).
In addition, Flaherty previously served as the editor-in-chief (2016-2025) and senior editor (2010-2016) of the AACR journal Clinical Cancer Research. He has also served as scientific editor for the AACR journal Cancer Discovery (2010-2017).
Flaherty has been honored with numerous awards throughout his career, most notably the OncLive Giants of Cancer Care Award for Melanoma (2020), the Society for Melanoma Research Lifetime Achievement Award (2019), the National Cancer Institute Michaele C. Christian Oncology Development Lectureship and Award (2015), the Mass General Cancer Center Harrison Clinical Research Award (2013), and the Peter Fink Memorial Lectureship (2013).
Flaherty earned his undergraduate degree in neurobiology at Yale University and his medical degree at Johns Hopkins University.
ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP CHANGES
AACR President-Elect
Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, FAACR, was elected the AACR President-Elect for 2026-2027. He will assume the Presidency at the AACR Annual Meeting in April 2027 in Orlando. Vonderheide is director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the John H. Glick, MD, Abramson Cancer Center's Director Professor in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. He is vice dean for cancer programs at the Perelman School of Medicine; vice president of cancer programs and lead physician for the cancer service line for the University of Pennsylvania Health System; and president of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute.
Immediate Past President
Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, will serve as the Immediate Past President of the AACR for 2026-2027. Siu is a senior medical oncologist, director of the Phase I Clinical Trials Program, codirector of the Robert and Maggie Bras and Family Drug Development Program, clinical lead for the Tumor Immunotherapy Program, and the BMO Chair in Precision Cancer Genomics at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. She is also a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.
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Original text here: https://www.aacr.org/about-the-aacr/newsroom/news-releases/american-association-for-cancer-research-inaugurates-new-leadership-during-aacr-annual-meeting-2026/
ACP finds performance measures for migraine headache inadequate to improve patient care
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American College of Physicians posted the following news release:
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ACP finds performance measures for migraine headache inadequate to improve patient care
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Backs only meaningful, evidence-based performance measures for internal medicine
PHILADELPHIA, April 20, 2026 - The American College of Physicians (ACP) supports meaningful, evidence-based performance measures for internal medicine that improve patient care but does not recommend a core measure for migraine treatment at this time, citing inadequacies in the existing
... Show Full Article
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American College of Physicians posted the following news release:
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ACP finds performance measures for migraine headache inadequate to improve patient care
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Backs only meaningful, evidence-based performance measures for internal medicine
PHILADELPHIA, April 20, 2026 - The American College of Physicians (ACP) supports meaningful, evidence-based performance measures for internal medicine that improve patient care but does not recommend a core measure for migraine treatment at this time, citing inadequacies in the existingmeasure. " Core Performance Measures for Migraine Headache: A Review by the American College of Physicians " is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Migraine affects roughly 15% of Americans and is the second leading cause of disability among all adults and the leading cause among females aged 15-59. Despite its prevalence and impact, it is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. As part of an initiative to recommend core performance measures for internal medicine physicians, ACP's Performance Measurement Committee searched for existing U.S. performance measures related to migraine headache, identifying just one. Applying ACP's measure review criteria, ACP found the measure lacks appropriate testing and key exclusions, relies on outdated guidance, and addresses a minimal performance gap. Further, ACP concluded that the measure adds unnecessary reporting burden for individual physicians. For these reasons, ACP does not recommend adopting a core performance measure for migraine at this time and urges measure developers to continue refining and testing the measure to ensure it becomes reliable, valid, and minimally burdensome for physicians.
ACP also explored potential performance measure concepts derived from the ACP clinical guidelines on preventing episodic migraine and treating acute migraine but decided against proposing a concept because most recommendations were conditional based on low-certainty evidence, making them unsuitable for measurement, or had measure feasibility issues related to documentation, making accurate measurement unrealistic.
"As internal medicine physicians, we're dedicated to delivering the highest quality care for our patients, and well-designed performance measures are essential tools in achieving that," said Jan K. Carney, MD, MACP, President of ACP. "ACP believes that everyone deserves high quality health care, yet many existing measures provide little real benefit to patients while creating heavy administrative burdens. Our efforts are best directed toward measures that truly enhance patient care."
The proliferation of low value measures, and the administrative workload they create, risks worsening primary care workforce shortages and reducing time available for direct patient care. ACP's core performance measures initiative aims to identify high quality, evidence-based performance measures for internal medicine to be used nationally across all payers and systems to improve care for patients in the U.S.
About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 172 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 163,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our RSS feed.
Contact: Lori Bookbinder, 215-351-2431, lbookbinder@acponline.org
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Original text here: https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/acp-finds-performance-measures-for-migraine-headache-inadequate-to-improve-patient-care
API, AFPM Back Legislation to Halt State Laws and Lawsuits Targeting American Energy
WASHINGTON, April 20 [Category: Energy] -- The American Petroleum Institute posted the following news release:
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API, AFPM Back Legislation to Halt State Laws and Lawsuits Targeting American Energy
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WASHINGTON, April 20, 2026 -American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson issued the following statement after Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Harriet Hageman introduced legislation to address a wave of lawsuits and "climate superfund" laws targeting U.S. energy producers and threatening to
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 20 [Category: Energy] -- The American Petroleum Institute posted the following news release:
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API, AFPM Back Legislation to Halt State Laws and Lawsuits Targeting American Energy
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WASHINGTON, April 20, 2026 -American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson issued the following statement after Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Harriet Hageman introduced legislation to address a wave of lawsuits and "climate superfund" laws targeting U.S. energy producers and threatening toraise costs for American consumers:
"We thank Senator Cruz and Rep. Hageman for introducing legislation to stop a growing patchwork of state laws and lawsuits that threaten American energy and risk raising costs for consumers. These efforts to retroactively penalize companies for lawfully meeting consumer demand are misguided and counterproductive. Congress should act decisively to reaffirm federal authority over national energy policy and end this activist-driven state overreach."
More than 30 lawsuits are moving through courts as part of a coordinated campaign targeting American energy, with a growing number already dismissed. Courts have increasingly found that global emissions issues are governed by federal law and cannot be regulated through a patchwork of courtrooms.
At the same time, New York and Vermont's so-called "climate superfund" laws are facing challenges from the U.S. Department of Justice, a coalition of states and industry, including API. With at least 10 additional states considering similar actions, these activist-driven policies threaten to raise energy costs, discourage investment and undermine a consistent national energy framework at the expense of American consumers.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) represents all segments of America's oil and natural gas industry, supporting nearly 11 million U.S. jobs. With approximately 600 members, API companies produce, process, and distribute the majority of the nation's energy. Founded in 1919, API has developed over 800 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency, and sustainability.
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Original text here: https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/news/2026/04/20/api-afpm-back-legislation-to-halt-state-laws-and-lawsuits-targeting-american-ene
American Nurses Credentialing Center Hosts Global Interprofessional Healthcare Summit to Advance Practice
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, April 20 [Category: Nursing] -- The American Nurses Association issued the following news release:
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American Nurses Credentialing Center Hosts Global Interprofessional Healthcare Summit to Advance Practice
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ORLANDO, FL -The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) held an inaugural Professional Development & Practice (PDP) Summit, a first of its kind, which took place in Orlando, Florida on April 14-17. The summit elevated professional development, education and practice standards and celebrated leaders and facilitators of learning in healthcare.
It is the
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, April 20 [Category: Nursing] -- The American Nurses Association issued the following news release:
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American Nurses Credentialing Center Hosts Global Interprofessional Healthcare Summit to Advance Practice
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ORLANDO, FL -The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) held an inaugural Professional Development & Practice (PDP) Summit, a first of its kind, which took place in Orlando, Florida on April 14-17. The summit elevated professional development, education and practice standards and celebrated leaders and facilitators of learning in healthcare.
It is thefirst unifying event hosted by ANCC that brought together nurse leaders, educators, and numerous interprofessional healthcare accreditation experts, including physicians, researchers and physician assistants. The Summit offered high-profile networking opportunities with leaders and experts across the globe, engaging activities, powerful presentations, and dynamic keynote speakers.
The Summit was curated to be an all-inclusive, transformative learning experience. For this reason, ANCC is combining its flagship Accreditation communities for the first time - the Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation Program (APPFA(r)), Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education(tm) (JA), ANCC Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) Accreditation(tm), and the Practice Transition Accreditation Program(r) (PTAP).
"This inaugural Summit represented a pivotal moment for the nursing profession and the broader healthcare learning community," said Bradley Goettl, DNP, DHA, APRN, FAAN, FACHE, Chief Nursing Officer. "By convening leaders across nursing professional development, interprofessional education, and accreditation, we created a powerful platform to align standards, share innovation, and elevate the impact of lifelong learning on patient care outcomes. Bringing together our flagship accreditation programs for the first time underscored our commitment to fostering collaboration, strengthening the healthcare workforce, and advancing excellence across the continuum of care."
To learn more about the PDP Summit and view the full schedule of events, please visit the online Event Program.
A Special Thank You to All of the PDP Summit 2026 Sponsors:
Platinum Sponsors: KB Healthwork and Staffgarden. Gold Sponsors: Vizient. Silver Sponsors: MentorLead, StaffGarden and Wolters Kluwer. Premier Award Sponsor: Dossier. Summit Partner: Kahuna. Summit Ally: APA Style, Centre for Professional Development, Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program, Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, UbiSim by Labster, and William Carey University.
About the American Nurses Credentialing Center
The American Nurses Credentialing Center works with the nation's largest group of healthcare professionals to uphold the highest standards of nursing excellence. With a comprehensive suite of individual certifications and organizational accreditation programs designed to foster research, innovation, career growth, and leadership development, the credentialing center equips nurses to achieve safer, patient-centric outcomes both nationally and internationally. Committed to harnessing The Power of Nurses(tm) to elevate care standards worldwide, the credentialing center continuously sets the benchmarks that support excellence in every facet of nursing practice.
MEDIA CONTACT: newsroom@ana.org
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Original text here: https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2026-news-releases/american-nurses-credentialing-center-hosts-global-interprofessional-healthcare-summit-to-advance-practice/
ABA Statement on Passage of Nebraska Anti-Fraud Legislation
WASHINGTON, April 20 [Category: Financial Services] -- The American Bankers Association posted the following news release:
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ABA Statement on Passage of Nebraska Anti-Fraud Legislation
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"ABA applauds the Nebraska Legislature and Gov. Pillen for enacting legislation to strengthen protections against fraudulent advertising on social media platforms -legislation that mirrors the SCAM Act, which we strongly support in the U.S. House and Senate. Banks have long been on the front lines of the fight against fraud, and this new state law represents an important step forward in protecting consumers,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 20 [Category: Financial Services] -- The American Bankers Association posted the following news release:
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ABA Statement on Passage of Nebraska Anti-Fraud Legislation
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"ABA applauds the Nebraska Legislature and Gov. Pillen for enacting legislation to strengthen protections against fraudulent advertising on social media platforms -legislation that mirrors the SCAM Act, which we strongly support in the U.S. House and Senate. Banks have long been on the front lines of the fight against fraud, and this new state law represents an important step forward in protecting consumers,as other states consider similar approaches. We applaud Nebraska's lawmakers for their leadership and urge Congress to quickly pass the SCAM Act to provide increased consumer protection at the federal level."
Additional Background
* ABA's Paul Benda Testifies Before Nebraska Lawmakers on Bills to Mitigate Fraud
About the American Bankers Association
The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nation's $25.3 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ over 2 million people, safeguard $20.1 trillion in deposits and extend $13.5 trillion in loans.
In Depth
* Fraud
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Original text here: https://www.aba.com/about-us/press-room/press-releases/aba-statement-on-passage-of-nebraska-anti-fraud-legislation
A Machine Learning Model that Uses DNA Methylation Patterns May Help Identify the Origin of Cancers of Unknown Primary
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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A Machine Learning Model that Uses DNA Methylation Patterns May Help Identify the Origin of Cancers of Unknown Primary
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This approach may eventually help guide personalized treatment decisions for patients diagnosed with these cancers
SAN DIEGO - A machine learning model analyzing CpG-based DNA methylation accurately predicted the origin of many different cancer types in patients with cancers of unknown primary (CUP), according to research presented
... Show Full Article
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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A Machine Learning Model that Uses DNA Methylation Patterns May Help Identify the Origin of Cancers of Unknown Primary
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This approach may eventually help guide personalized treatment decisions for patients diagnosed with these cancers
SAN DIEGO - A machine learning model analyzing CpG-based DNA methylation accurately predicted the origin of many different cancer types in patients with cancers of unknown primary (CUP), according to research presentedat the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.
CUP are metastatic malignancies in which the primary cancer site could not be identified. These cancers are often associated with poorer outcomes, in part because treatment decisions must be made without knowing the cancer's origin, and patients are typically treated with broad, nonspecific chemotherapy regimens rather than therapies targeted to a specific cancer type, according to presenter Marco A. De Velasco, PhD, a faculty member in the Department of Genome Biology at Kindai University in Japan.
"Only between 15% and 20% of patients with CUP show features that allow physicians to treat them with site-specific therapies, which are associated with better outcomes," explained De Velasco. "However, most patients, between 80% and 85%, receive more general chemotherapy, which is often less effective. Patients receiving site-directed therapy can survive up to 24 months, compared with six to nine months for those receiving standard treatment."
Researchers have explored whether identifying the cancer's origin using molecular profiling could improve treatment decisions. These approaches analyze patterns in tumor biology, such as gene activity or chemical modifications to DNA, which differ between cancer types and may persist even after the cancer has spread. While some methods have shown promise, they have not demonstrated clear survival benefits in clinical trials, according to De Velasco.
In this study, De Velasco and colleagues, including colead investigator Kazuko Sakai, PhD, and principal investigator Kazuto Nishio, MD, PhD, developed a new approach focusing on CpG DNA methylation, a type of chemical modification that occurs at cytosine and guanine DNA bases. De Velasco noted that CpG methylation acts like a molecular "fingerprint" for different tissues in the body. By analyzing these patterns in tumor samples, the researchers developed a computational model capable of distinguishing among 21 different cancer types.
"Instead of relying on large and complex datasets, we aimed to identify a smaller, more practical set of markers that still retains strong predictive power," said De Velasco. "The long-term goal is to create a tool that could support physicians in identifying the likely tissue of origin and helping inform more effective treatment decisions."
The model was developed using methylation data from nearly 7,500 patients with 21 different cancer types obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas program and other public datasets. Data were divided among training and test cohorts.
The researchers applied machine learning to identify sites of CpG methylation in the tumor DNA of the training cohort and build methylation profiles that were associated with different tumor types.
The study results showed that the model correctly identified the cancer type in about 95% of cases in the test cohort, and maintained strong performance-about 87% accuracy-when applied to an independent validation cohort from the researcher's institution of 31 cases representing 17 different cancer types.
"One of the most important findings from our study is that we were able to accurately predict the origin of many different cancer types using a very small subset of DNA markers, about 1,000 CpG regions selected from hundreds of thousands across the genome," said De Velasco. "This is important because it shows that we can simplify complex molecular data while still maintaining strong predictive performance."
For patients with CUP, this model could help move physicians away from trial-and-error treatment approaches and instead select therapies tailored to a cancer's likely site of origin, he added.
"Our findings suggest that DNA-based approaches can help identify where a cancer may have started, even when the original tumor is not visible. By using a much smaller and more focused set of markers, this approach could make these types of tests more practical and accessible in the future," said De Velasco.
"Overall, we see this research as part of a broader effort to better understand cancer using molecular information, with the goal of supporting more informed and personalized care in the future. However, this work is still in the research stage. We next have to evaluate how well this approach performs in a prospective analysis of patients with true cancers of unknown primary," added De Velasco.
One key limitation of this study is that the model was developed using cancers with known origins, rather than true CUP, which means the model needs to be tested in actual patients with CUP to understand how well it performs in clinical settings. Another limitation is that not all tumors are easy to access for genetic testing, especially in the advanced stage setting. An important next step in this research, according to De Velasco, is adapting and evaluating this model using blood-based biopsy to analyze circulating tumor DNA instead of relying on DNA from tissue samples.
Funding for this study was provided by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. De Velasco reports no conflicts of interest.
Download a photo of De Velasco
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Original text here: https://www.aacr.org/about-the-aacr/newsroom/news-releases/a-machine-learning-model-that-uses-dna-methylation-patterns-may-help-identify-the-origin-of-cancers-of-unknown-primary/
A Deep Learning Pathomics Platform May Help Predict Response to Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer Patients
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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A Deep Learning Pathomics Platform May Help Predict Response to Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer Patients
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SAN DIEGO - A biology-guided artificial intelligence model applied to routine pathology slides accurately predicted outcomes and response to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.
"Immunotherapy
... Show Full Article
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, April 20 [Category: Medical] -- The American Association for Cancer Research posted the following news release:
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A Deep Learning Pathomics Platform May Help Predict Response to Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer Patients
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SAN DIEGO - A biology-guided artificial intelligence model applied to routine pathology slides accurately predicted outcomes and response to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.
"Immunotherapyhas transformed cancer treatment, but only a subset of patients benefit from it, and predicting who will respond remains challenging," said presenter Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center. "While routine pathology slides contain rich information about the tumor and its surrounding environment, the large amount of complex data can be difficult for human experts to fully quantify."
Pathomics is an emerging field that applies computational and machine learning methods for high-throughput analysis of digital pathology images to extract and analyze large-scale data related to cell and tissue architecture that can be linked to disease outcomes.
Bandyopadhyay and colleagues developed a pathomics framework based on a deep learning survival prediction model called Pathology-driven Immunotherapy Optimization or Path-IO, which can analyze pathology slide images and study patterns across the tissue to help identify patients who are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy.
"The core idea was to identify specific features, known as niches, within the tumor microenvironment to understand how tumors and the surrounding tissues are organized," said Bandyopadhyay, adding that the model then combines this information with available imaging and clinical data to estimate whether a patient may have a higher or lower risk of poor outcomes from immunotherapy.
The researchers tested the platform in a study that included 797 immune checkpoint inhibitor-treated NSCLC patients from UT MD Anderson, with external validation in 280 additional patients from Mayo Clinic, Gustave Roussy, and the phase III Lung-MAP S1400I trial in which immunotherapy-naive patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (a subtype of NSCLC) were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Study results showed that the model could reliably stratify patients into higher and lower risk groups with significantly different outcomes. In the UT MD Anderson cohort, patients in the high-risk group had more than double the risk of death or disease progression compared with patients in the low-risk group. Comparable results were obtained in the validation datasets.
Model performance was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index), which measures how well each biomarker distinguishes between patients with different outcomes, explained Bandyopadhyay. Notably, Path-IO consistently outperformed PD-L1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-validated standard-of-care biomarker for guiding immunotherapy use in NSCLC patients, across both discovery and test cohorts. "PD-L1 alone showed limited prognostic performance, with C-indices of 0.58 for overall survival (OS) and 0.57 for progression-free survival (PFS) in the discovery cohort, declining to 0.50 and 0.51, respectively, in the test cohort. In contrast, Path-IO demonstrated stronger discriminative ability, achieving C-indices of 0.69 for OS and 0.65 for PFS in the discovery cohort and 0.63 for OS and 0.58 for PFS in the test cohort."
Furthermore, combining pathology-based predictions with radiomics and clinical data further improved the model's ability to distinguish patient outcomes, with the C-index increasing from 0.58 to 0.70 for PFS and from 0.63 to 0.75 for OS. "These observations highlight the value of integrating multiple sources of information to guide treatment decisions," said Bandyopadhyay.
Bandyopadhyay explained that, unlike prior pathomics studies, Path-IO is a biology-guided approach that grounds the predictions in tissue structures that are familiar to clinicians to reflect how pathologists naturally interpret tissue.
The model's predictions correlated with immune profiling and multiplex imaging data because higher risk scores assigned by the model corresponded to phenotypes that are less likely to be sensitive to immunotherapy. "This correlation provides biological evidence for why certain patients may have better or worse outcomes with immunotherapy," added Bandyopadhyay.
Bandyopadhyay emphasized that, since this approach was designed to be applied to routine pathology slides, if validated as a predictive tool, it could be incorporated into existing clinical workflows without significant expense compared to other emerging data-based technologies.
"This study represents, to our knowledge, the first deep learning-based pathomics biomarker rigorously validated across international real-world cohorts and a phase III randomized clinical trial, directly addressing one of the most urgent unmet needs in precision oncology: reliable patient selection and stratification for immunotherapy," said Bandyopadhyay.
Limitations of the study, according to Bandyopadhyay, include that the study design is retrospective in nature and, although the results suggest that Path-IO may have predictive value in certain patient subgroups, further investigation is critically needed to go beyond the identification of patients who would benefit from immunotherapy and help predict what type of immunotherapy they can benefit from. "Future directions include prospective validation and the integration of paired, more comprehensive molecular profiling to enhance predictive performance and provide deeper molecular insights," said Bandyopadhyay.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, The UT MD Anderson Lung Moon Shot Program, and philanthropic contributions from Mrs. Andrea Mugnaini and Dr. Edward L.C. Smith, the Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer, QIAC Partnership in Research (QPR) funding, and Permanent Health Funds. Scientific and financial support for the Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers and Cancer Immunologic Data Center (CIMAC-CIDC) Network was provided by the National Cancer Institute.
Bandyopadhyay declared no conflicts of interest.
Download a photo of Bandyopadhyay
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Original text here: https://www.aacr.org/about-the-aacr/newsroom/news-releases/a-deep-learning-pathomics-platform-may-help-predict-response-to-immunotherapy-in-lung-cancer-patients/
