Connection and Collaboration at EACR 2026

In June 2026, PLOS One senior editor Jenny Tucker traveled to Budapest for the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) Congress, which brought together the global cancer research community to discuss important research topics and recent progress, including the importance of patient involvement in research, improved understanding of mechanisms underlying aberrant cellular behavior in cancer, and the role of immune cells and inflammation in driving disease progression.

With over 2400 attendees from more than 70 different countries, EACR 2026 showcased scientific excellence from diverse researchers who share the goal of accelerating progress against cancer. The scientific programme included high impact keynote lectures, symposia, poster sessions, early career scientist forums and dedicated industry workshops on new technologies, alongside an engaging “Meet the Editors” panel, and an evening networking session to encourage connection between attendees. Outside of the symposia, attendees were able to browse over 1300 posters, with dedicated time to speak to the presenting researchers and build new connections. EACR 2026 also hosted an extensive exhibition from over 120 vendors, spanning from contract research organizations and biotechnology companies to gene editing and model development outsource companies, to support research and display new technologies for the advancement of scientific research. Relevant cancer research organizations and publishers were also present, to discuss the focal themes of importance with the research community and to understand how to continue supporting the dissemination of their research findings.

A returning and central theme present through many sessions was the importance of the patient in cancer research, for those in pre-clinical and laboratory-based work as well as clinicians. In recent years there has been a growing dedication to patient-centric care in line with the World Cancer Day focus of the unique experiences of each individual with cancer. Marisol Soengas presented on the importance of patient involvement in cancer research, sharing her perspectives as both a cancer researcher and a patient. She is spear-heading the formation of the EACR patient involvement and outreach group to communicate science to patients, and to facilitate a forum for patient feedback, as her own experiences highlighted disparities between the clinically defined thresholds and what patients may truly consider tolerable treatment side effects. This exciting work includes a number of strategies to improve two-way communication with patient communities, and to consider how their input may influence the development of future policies. Cancer cachexia, a major challenge for patients which can directly impact quality of end of life experience was also threaded through the talks; Ayelet Erez presented work which demonstrates how early detection of patients at higher risk of developing cachexia may allow for earlier intervention, whilst Che Wei Wang demonstrated the ability of HP1α-overexpression to restore muscle function.

Declaration of the return, and planned retention, of the ‘bench to bedside and back’ session was met with enthusiasm, as this session explores the development of translational advances, their implementation in clinical settings, and the backwards flow of their clinical success to inform future research. This session included sharing challenges in the development of successful therapies, and reminded researchers to hold onto hope, because even failures can be crucial in discovering future success. Connection and collaboration were key themes in EACR’s program, with coffee breaks encouraging connectedness between attendees, and the introduction of a new EACR-Worldwide Cancer Research Collaboration Fellowships to support international research visits that grow out of connections made at the EACR Congress 2026 further supports this focus. The financial award is intended to nurture collaborations, whether the goal is to exchange skills and expertise, carry out a focused short-term project, or lay the groundwork for a joint grant. proposal.

The cancer prevention symposium included strong talks from researchers reflecting on successes and ongoing challenges in preventative strategies, including the funding barriers and feasibility of precision prevention programs. Timothy Beck discussed both population and precision based approaches to cancer prevention, reflecting on some successes (eg. smoking cessation campaigns and HPV vaccination) whilst considering the challenges of precision-based strategies, due to the latency for effect, the challenge defining endpoints (ie. the absence of cancer development), and the funding issues which prevention trials face. He also discussed recent advances in technologies, such as liquid biopsies and early multicancer detection strategies such as the Pathfinder-2 and NHS Galleri trials, and the challenges balancing commercial interests with prevention goals. Paolo Vines presented on cancer prevention in the context of planetary health, with conversation focused on how planetary boundaries of health can have implications for cancer risk, and strategies which reduce these burdens may be advantageous for both the planet and its human population. 

Caroline Dive outlined some of the obstacles of biomarker translation from discovery into clinical application, introducing many attendees to the so called “biomarker valley of death” which sits between publications of putative biomarkers and those which are actually implemented in clinical settings. She shared three success stories in biomarker identification and implementation, highlighting how improved understanding of cancer evolution can provide new translational opportunities for therapy development.

There was great diversity in the topics covered by symposia, with some themes continued from last years program, including brain tumors, genomic changes, the immune system in cancer, and cancer prevention. There were also new session themes which included novel cancer models in which there was great presentation of work across non-standard animal models, improving understanding of cancer prevention strategies across species, and comparing functions to better understand increased cancer risks. Impressive findings from sessions included novel autophagic processes which modulate micronuclei and potential chromosomal changes which may contribute to aberrant cellular processing and drive tumour formation or metastasis, generation of an organoid biobank which provides advances in ex vivo modelling from patient samples, and distinctions in cellular behaviour and physiological protective functions in young and aged populations which supports the need for personalised therapeutic approaches as cancer cell behaviour is distinct across different age groups.

The speakers in all sessions were passionate, knowledgable and enthusiastic in sharing their work. Whilst some gaps in our understanding of cancer remain, this community is excited and intrigued to keep finding pieces of the puzzle, to progress our understanding of cancer and the underlying cellular mechanisms which may inform future preventative and treatment strategies. From speaking to researchers, it was also clear that the exhibitors really listen to this community, and not only wish to promote their products and services but also to understand where there are gaps in their offerings. One such example is the unmet need for cancer cell lines to support improved understanding of the aggressiveness of prostate cancer in specific ethnicities, due to limited availability of relevant cancer cell lines from a European provider. This exhibitor positively responded to requests to improve and diversify their offerings, to meet researcher needs and better serve the cancer research community.

It was also very encouraging to see engagement with open science practices, including the use of pre-print servers, data repositories for data sharing and code sharing throughout the talks. As PLOS champions open science initiatives, it was encouraging to see the cancer research community value these practices to share their work.