HOUSTON, MAY 14, 2026 ― At The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center , research breakthroughs are made possible through seamless collaboration between the institution's world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. The studies below showcase the latest advances in cancer care, research and prevention.
RAS inhibitor daraxonrasib demonstrates initial anti-tumor activity in pancreatic cancer
Read the full release | Read the study in The New England Journal of Medicine
The targeted RAS inhibitor therapy daraxonrasib demonstrated the potential to improve patient outcomes over current standard treatments for patients with RAS-mutant pancreatic cancer, according to results of a Phase 1/2 trial led by David Hong, M.D., deputy chair of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics. Thirty-eight patients received a 300 mg. dose of daraxonrasib. The response rate was 29% and median overall survival was 15.6 months, a significant improvement over historical response rates to second-line chemotherapy.
"This trial provides a really strong signal that this targeted therapy has the potential to extend the overall survival of these patients," Hong said. "We saw rapid and durable responses, and the manageable overall safety profile supports the ongoing evaluation of daraxonrasib."
Study may help predict response to chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer
Read the full release | Read the study in Nature
Researchers characterized cancer cell-specific features in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues, identifying specific macrophage subtypes associated with chemotherapy response. The researchers developed a 13-gene panel and a machine learning model that can predict which patients are more likely to respond to treatment, laying the groundwork for developing novel diagnostic approaches and personalized therapeutic strategies. This represents one of the first large-scale single-cell genomic studies of TNBC, providing an unprecedented view of both cancer cell biology and the unique TNBC tumor microenvironment. The study was led by Nicholas Navin, Ph.D. , chair of Systems Biology , and Clinton Yam, M.D. , associate professor of Breast Medical Oncology .
"This study provides novel insights into the gene-expression programs and the different cell states of the tumor microenvironment in patients with triple-negative breast cancer," Navin said. "Importantly, we've identified certain programs and macrophage subtypes that are associated with good responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which has tremendous potential to improve patient outcomes."
Researchers find biomarker of chemotherapy resistance in relapsed lung cancer
Read the full release | Read the study in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology
Researchers have discovered that some cancer cells express the YAP1 protein only after treatment with chemotherapy , allowing them to survive by becoming more invasive and leading to treatment resistance with eventual relapse in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The study, led by Carl Gay, M.D., Ph.D. , associate professor of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology , suggests that targeting cells with YAP1 may be a possible strategy to help overcome treatment resistance.
"These findings highlight YAP1-expressing cells as biomarkers of chemotherapy resistance in small cell lung cancer," Gay said. "This brings us another step closer to understanding the mechanisms behind why patients continue to relapse so that we can better adapt our diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes."
Scientists find blood-based biomarkers for inflammatory breast cancer
Read the full release | Read the study in Science Advances
Researchers have identified specific blood-based genomic biomarkers that distinguish inflammatory breast cancer from other subtypes, providing a new and less invasive method for early diagnosis, disease progression monitoring and treatment development for patients with this aggressive disease. The study used an improved method of RNA sequencing, called TGIRT sequencing, that allows for a more comprehensive overview of all RNA types and amounts present in a given sample. The research was led by Savitri Krishnamurthy, M.D. , professor of Anatomic Pathology .
"These findings provide new insights into inflammatory breast cancer that should enable clinicians to monitor disease progression simply through liquid biopsy," Krishnamurthy said. "Because it is so difficult to obtain tumor samples, these blood-based biomarkers could be truly transformative in developing treatments for this patient population."
Researchers find potential one-two punch against triple-negative breast cancer
Read the full release | Read the study in Cell Reports Medicine
Researchers have identified a key enzyme – RNase H2 – that helps triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells survive high levels of DNA replication stress. Because many breast cancer therapies work by causing replication stress, these results suggest RNase H2 is a promising treatment target. The study, led by Shiaw-Yih Lin, Ph.D. , professor of Systems Biology , reveals that blocking RNase H2 directly damages cancer cell DNA while also activating the innate immune system to produce signals that attract T cells to attack the tumor.
"Adding RNase H2 inhibition is a one-two punch that overcomes the adaptive mechanism that triple-negative breast cancer tumors leverage to survive replication stress and continue progressing," Lin said. "Our findings show that this is a promising therapeutic strategy that lays the groundwork to meaningfully improve patient outcomes for this aggressive and difficult-to-treat subtype of breast cancer."
Tumor markers in rare appendiceal cancer may predict treatment outcomes
Read the full release | Read the study in JAMA Network Open
A new retrospective study found that levels of commonly measured serum tumor markers – CEA, CA19-9 and CA125 – can play a significant role in predicting outcomes in patients with appendiceal adenocarcinoma undergoing cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Researchers found elevated levels of these biomarkers prior to surgery were strongly associated with higher tumor burden and reduced likelihood of completely removing the tumor, leading to shorter periods before recurrence. The study, led by John Paul Shen, M.D. , assistant professor in Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology , also discovered that patients with elevated tumor markers within six months after surgery had substantially poorer survival outcomes, including a higher risk of mortality within five years. In contrast, normalized marker levels following surgery were associated with significantly improved survival, underscoring the importance of both preoperative and postoperative monitoring.
"Routine measurement of CEA, CA19-9 and CA125 before and after surgery can help clinicians better stratify risk, monitor for residual disease and tailor postoperative surveillance," Shen said. "Moving forward, being able to identify patients at high risk of relapse will help select patients for novel therapies to eliminate minimal residual disease following surgery."
Low-intensity combination therapy yields strong outcomes in hard-to-treat AML
Read the full release | Read the study in American Journal of Hematology
A novel lower-intensity treatment yielded high rates of remission in older or medically fragile patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) . The Phase 2 trial investigated a combination of cladribine, low-dose cytarabine, plus venetoclax alternating with azacitidine plus venetoclax. The trial found 84% of patients achieved remission, with 75% of them having no detectable leukemia cells.
"Standard intensive chemotherapy can occasionally be too harsh for many older patients, and existing lower-intensity approaches may be ineffective in several subsets," said Tapan Kadia, M.D. , professor of Leukemia . "The results from this trial provide us with a safer and highly effective treatment option with high rates of deep response."
New marker aids diagnosis for aggressive prostate cancer
Read the full release | Read the study in Histopathology
The FOXA1 protein is a potentially highly sensitive diagnostic marker for small cell carcinoma of the prostate and possibly other aggressive prostate cancer subtypes that are difficult to diagnose due to a loss of traditional prostate markers. The study, published in Histopathology , was led by Jianping Zhao, M.D., Ph.D. , assistant professor of Anatomic Pathology
"The detectable expression of FOXA1 in most small cell carcinomas of the prostate make it a potentially viable option for diagnosing aggressive subtypes that lose conventional markers," Zhao said. "While further study is needed to understand the specific molecular mechanisms, we are encouraged by these results, which could help pathologists make prognostic and therapeutic decisions to improve patient care."
