Cancerwise

At the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, UT MD Anderson experts will showcase their cutting-edge work that impacts patients across the globe.

I’m so proud of all the progress our researchers have made in discovery science and translational research that will be on display. These advancements will bring forth new therapies for our patients and advance our understanding of the biologic processes that ultimately drive the disease. 

For this year’s meeting, our researchers will present nearly 220 abstracts. Here, I’ll highlight three of them that hope to lay the groundwork for future breakthrough discoveries.

A new approach to immune checkpoint inhibition may preserve quality of life for some patients with oral lesions

Approximately 5% of the general population have precancerous lesions in their mouth that can carry up to a 36% risk of progression to oral cancer, explains head and neck surgeon Moran Amit, M.D., Ph.D. While many patients undergo surgery to remove these lesions, the risk of recurrence after surgery can be as high as 40%.

“For these patients, the choice has always been between surgery that gradually erodes their ability to speak and swallow, or watchful waiting that leaves them in a state of uncertainty,” says Amit.  
 
Prior research has found that treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab can reduce the size and the risk of progression of precancerous oral lesions. But when this treatment is delivered through an intravenous infusion, it can come with toxicities and side effects. 

On April 21, at the AACR Annual Meeting, Amit will present findings from a Phase 1 trial that examined injecting nivolumab directly into the lesions. This could potentially allow some patients to avoid surgery and the negative side effects that can come with intravenous infusions. The implications could extend to other types of precancerous lesions. 
 
“In this trial, we wanted to investigate whether a simple, targeted injection of immunotherapy directly into the lesion could shrink it and retrain the immune system to fight it. If successful, we're not just treating a lesion; we're giving patients back their voice,” says Amit.