Clinical Updates & Insights

Three studies from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) address two pressing questions in rectal and anal cancer care: How can organ preservation be made more durable, and can blood tests help identify patients at high risk of treatment failure? Reported in three oral presentations on September 28 at the 2026 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Boston, the studies examined radiation approaches for rectal cancer and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), fragments of tumor DNA in the bloodstream, as a marker of treatment response and recurrence risk.

The head and neck service at MSK offers a distinctive collaborative and multidisciplinary approach. Advanced capabilities include dental rehabilitation at the time of surgery using bone-for-bone reconstruction, and virtual Surgical Planning using CAD/CAM technology for preoperative modeling to improve reconstructive outcomes. In this Q&A our head and neck, plastic, and reconstructive surgeons discuss the future of head and neck surgery at MSK.

MSK researchers have identified genomic changes in recurrent gastric tumors that could improve personalized care and post-operative monitoring of this deadly type of cancer. In the study, researchers used large-scale genetic sequencing data to identify patients at risk of recurrence of primary gastric cancer, and to predict the pattern of metastasis after surgery.

In this Q&A series, we speak with former MSK trainees as they reflect on their career paths, share insights from their current work, and discuss how their experiences at MSK continue to inform the way they practice, lead and innovate. For this edition, we spoke with Justin Jee, MD, PhD, a graduate of MSK's Medical Oncology Fellowship. Dr. Jee is a thoracic medical oncologist and physician-scientist at MSK, where he cares for patients with lung cancer.

This Q&A with lymphoma specialist Mark Roschewski, MD, explores how targeted therapies and highly sensitive blood-based ctDNA testing could transform the future of lymphoma care by enabling more precise, personalized treatment decisions. He also discusses MSK-led research using ctDNA to detect disease earlier, assess treatment response, and better predict which patients are likely to remain disease-free after treatment.

Researchers at MSK found that combining belzutifan with lenvatinib significantly delayed disease progression in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma whose cancer had progressed after immunotherapy. Results from the phase 3 LITESPARK-011 trial showed the combination extended progression-free survival compared with standard treatment with cabozantinib.

MSK’s inpatient radiation oncology consult service (IROC) may improve end of life care and quality of life for patients with metastatic cancer, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open on June 1, 2026.

For years, patients with triple negative breast cancer have had limited treatment options beyond chemotherapy. Now, findings from the landmark TROPION-Breast02 trial \ led by MSK researchers have established a new standard of care for this hard-to-treat breast cancer subtype.

MSK experts presented breakthrough findings in several areas of cancer research at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. Highlights include advances in the treatment of liposarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma.

The heterogeneous nature of peripheral T-cell lymphoma has long complicated treatment development, with therapies that show activity in one subtype often proving less effective in others. Now researchers at MSK are using a growing molecular understanding of these diseases to guide the development of more targeted and rational treatment strategies.