The latest AACR Cancer Progress Report highlights a wave of new molecularly targeted cancer therapies that are expanding precision treatment across breast, lung, ovarian, prostate, brain, and blood cancers.

During the 12 months covered in the 2026 report, the FDA approved 10 new molecularly targeted therapeutics and expanded the use of two previously approved targeted drugs to additional cancer types. These therapies act more precisely on the molecules and pathways driving cancer growth, potentially improving effectiveness while limiting damage to healthy cells.

The advances come as the cancer burden continues to grow. More than 2.1 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed and more than 626,000 people are projected to die from cancer in the United States in 2026. By 2050, annual new cases are projected to surpass 2.5 million, a 19% increase from current levels.

Among the most notable advances was the May 2026 approval of vepdegestrant (Veppanu) for certain patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Vepdegestrant is the first FDA-approved proteolysis-targeting chimera, or PROTAC, a class of drugs that recruits the cell’s own protein-disposal machinery to destroy disease-driving proteins.

Another oral therapy, imlunestrant (Inluriyo), was approved in September 2025 for patients with ESR1-mutated breast cancer whose disease had progressed following endocrine therapy.

The growing number of targeted treatments is also making molecular testing increasingly important. Companion diagnostics use tumor tissue or blood to determine whether a cancer carries the genetic alteration or biomarker targeted by a particular drug, helping identify patients most likely to benefit while sparing others ineffective treatment and potential side effects. Unlike complementary diagnostics, companion diagnostics are required for the safe and effective use of certain FDA-approved therapies. The report notes that approvals of many new targeted treatments are now accompanied by approval of a companion diagnostic.

For example, the Guardant360 CDx test was approved to identify patients with ESR1-mutated breast cancer eligible for imlunestrant or vepdegestrant. Companion diagnostics were also approved alongside new targeted treatments for HER2-mutated non-small cell lung cancer and PTEN-deficient metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Precision treatment continued to expand in lung cancer with approvals of zongertinib (Hernexeos) and sevabertinib (Hyrnuo) for advanced tumors with certain HER2 mutations and sunvozertinib (Zegfrovy) for tumors carrying EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations.

Other advances included relacorilant (Lifyorli), a first-in-class treatment that blocks glucocorticoid receptor signaling, for certain patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and an expanded indication for the AKT inhibitor capivasertib (Truqap) for PTEN-deficient metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

For rare cancers, dordaviprone (Modeyso) became the first systemic therapy approved for diffuse midline glioma with an H3K27M mutation. Blood cancers also gained new targeted options, including the menin inhibitor ziftomenib (Komzifti) for certain NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemias.

Despite these advances, the report highlights persistent barriers to precision cancer medicine, including disparities in access to biomarker testing and matched targeted therapies, as well as treatment resistance that can limit the long-term benefits of even initially effective treatments.