To mark World Cancer Day 2025, we are putting the spotlight on some of the biggest and most impactful cancer breakthroughs that we anticipate will become key to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients in the future.
Cancer is a painfully ubiquitous feature of modern life. Whether friends or family have had the illness, or you are a survivor yourself, cancer has affected almost all of us in some way.
And it's getting more commonplace, with latest research suggesting that 1 in 2 people born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.
With the number of new cancer cases in the UK and throughout the world continuing to rise, the outlook seems bleak. But with breakthrough technologies currently at the research, development and implementation stages, the likelihood of providing earlier diagnoses, offering more effective treatments and even find a cure increases exponentially.
So, what are these new technologies, therapies and treatments, and what effect can they have on different types of cancer going forward? Here are the five most exciting cancer developments to look out for in 2025 and beyond.
Artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer diagnostics
Artificial Intelligence has been at the heart of many medical breakthroughs in recent years, and in the field of oncology it is certainly making a big impact – helping to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment planning and patient care.
For example, in 2020, an international team at Google Health developed AI capable of evaluating breast cancer mammograms. Comparing the detection accuracy of the tech with the ability of experienced radiologists, the team found that the AI surpassed traditional methods of detection. It was also shown to reduce the number of false positives and false negatives. This pioneering study represents a major leap in the use of AI during clinical care for cancer.
Five years later and AI tools are increasingly supplementing, supporting and – in some cases – replacing the work of physicians and radiologists; playing a key role in facilitating and accelerating drug discovery and enhancing precision medicines that are increasing a patient’s chance of recovery from cancer.
What’s more, a use of AI produces several biproducts and benefits, including significant time savings and increased capacity for over-stretched diagnosis facilities all over the globe.
Allogeneic Natural Killer (NK) Cells Therapy
In January 2025, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre unveiled an abundance of exciting breakthroughs, uncovered from recent research into cancer therapy within clinical settings.
A standout finding from the centre’s numerous studies highlights the promising potential of novel cellular therapies, specifically allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
In a pioneering Phase I clinical trial, researchers investigated the use of FT596, an iPSC-derived chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cell therapy. This therapy, engineered to hunt down B-cell lymphoma cells, demonstrated a promising safety profile, with more than 80% of participants observing significant clinical responses.
With the immune landscape in cancer research and treatment ever-changing, it is vital to continue developing our understanding of NK cells, and new therapies such as these will be key to finding safe, effective ways of treating cancer patients – throughout 2025 and far beyond.
HER2-Targeted Therapies
In another of the MD Anderson Cancer Centre breakthroughs, a Phase II trial assessed two HER2-targeted therapies, tucatinib and trastuzumab, in women with advanced HER2-negative breast cancers.
Whilst elevated HER-2 activity is common in several cancers, including breast cancer, therapeutic options for patients with high levels of specific HER-2 mutations have been largely untested until now.
The MD Anderson research highlights just how important exploring every potential avenue in cancer treatment is; the results of this particular trial were very promising, with response rates indicating tumour reductions in 42% of patients.
In the face of such results, we can anticipate an increase in HER-2 therapy research over the coming months and years – something which could be key to exploring and expanding treatment for female cancer patients in particular.
Seven-Minute Cancer Treatment
In a world first, the NHS has introduced a groundbreaking seven-minute cancer treatment, marking a significant advancement in patient care.
Traditionally, cancer patients have received the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab via intravenous transfusion, a process which in some cases could take up to an hour.
This incredible new breakthrough method allows the drug to be given via subcutaneous injection, which not only speeds up the delivery of treatment – taking just seven minutes – but also makes for a more comfortable patient experience.
The rollout of this game-changing treatment, which will also enable the freeing-up of vital resources in NHS chemotherapy units, follows approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), making the NHS in England the first health system globally to implement this efficient cancer therapy
Precision Oncology
Representing a transformative approach to cancer treatment, precision oncology allows for the tailoring of specific therapies to match the unique genetic and molecular profile of each cancer patient and their illness.
Analysing specific mutations and biomarkers within cancer cells enables cancer specialists to select target, precise therapies that can prove more effective than traditional, ‘off the shelf’ treatments and present fewer side effects too.
This personalised strategy often involves the use of advanced, recently developed technologies such as genomic sequencing and molecular diagnostics to identify the most promising treatment options.
It is anticipated that precision oncology will not only enhance the efficacy of cancer therapies but open new avenues for early detection and prevention too, ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
