Cancer Research and Care in 2026: 5 Big Shifts That Will Redefine Survival and Access

Stage 4 cancer increasingly becomes viewed as a treatable chronic condition.

Some 18.6 million Americans live with a history of cancer — a figure set to surpass 22 million by 2035. And while the cancer landscape is shifting with more diagnoses under 50, especially among women, cancer patients’ survival rates are also climbing. For younger patients — the new “sandwiched generation” juggling treatment, careers, caregiving and financial considerations — this means planning for remission and decades of cancer survivorship, even for complex diagnoses.  

“Cancer care doesn’t end when treatment does. It is important to build survivorship programs that integrate fertility counseling, cardiac screening, mental health support and so much more into patient treatment plans,” said Saro Armenian, D.O., M.P.H., Barron Hilton Chair in Pediatrics at City of Hope Children’s Cancer Center and director of City of Hope’s Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship Program.

“This surge of younger adults diagnosed with cancer reflects a mix of factors — changes in diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyles and possibly disruptions in the gut microbiome. Importantly, younger patients are often diagnosed with more advanced cancer, meaning cure is more difficult to achieve,” said Pashtoon Kasi, M.D., M.S., medical director of GI Medical Oncology at City of Hope Orange County.

City of Hope experts and patients:

Andrew Leitner, M.D., leads City of Hope’s Department of Supportive Care Medicine, which allows cancer survivors to reclaim their health, identity and future. His integrated team is expanding access to evidence-based, whole-person care and advocating for a national standard of practice for supportive care.

Alisa Secaida was diagnosed with Stage 4B lung cancer as a 39-year-old non-smoker and mother of two. Secaida says more people with cancer should push for second opinions and explore comprehensive treatment options. Read more on her story.

The bugs in your gut will become drugs — with microbiome-powered therapies moving from theory to treatment by pairing precision nutrition with leading-edge oncology. Think “food as medicine”: high-fiber diets, precision probiotics and home-delivered “prescription meals” integrated into clinical trials for better response rates and fewer side effects.  

City of Hope experts believe your gut bacteria can have significant influence on cancer treatment. Leading-edge research at City of Hope reveals that microbial communities help regulate immune cells and drug metabolism, meaning what you eat can affect how well therapies work.

“Nutrition isn’t just fuel — it’s an immune modulator. Microbiome strategies will join the cancer care toolkit,” said Marcel van den Brink, M.D., Ph.D., City of Hope president, chief physician executive and Deana and Steve Campbell Chief Physician Executive Distinguished Chair in Honor of Alexandra Levine, M.D.

City of Hope experts:

Robert Jenq, M.D., can speak to how the bugs in your gut can come effective drugs to treat disease. He is director of City of Hope’s microbiome program.

Kristin Bertell can  talk about how philanthropy fuels early-stage research that might not be funded by other sources. Philanthropy accelerates progress toward a future where innovations are accessible to every patient. She is chief philanthropy officer at City of Hope.

In 2026 cell therapies like CAR T will be delivered in more outpatient clinics and even at home, thanks to advances in remote monitoring and digital health. This decentralization will allow more patients to benefit from the latest treatments, reduce hospital stays by at least 60% — thus lowering overall costs — and continue to improve outcomes.

City of Hope’s model — developing cellular treatments on-site and combining that with care that is provided outside of traditional inpatient settings — will set the new national standard for treatments that are delivered faster and enhance the patient experience.

“The future of cancer care will be defined by cell therapies that treat and potentially cure even the most stubborn blood cancers. As we refine CAR T technology and expand outpatient access, I believe we’re on the verge of making durable remission the expectation — not the exception — for more patients,” said Elizabeth Budde, M.D., Ph.D., executive medical director of City of Hope’s Enterprise Immune Effector Cell Program.

City of Hope experts and patients:

Leslie L. Popplewell, M.D., can speak to how bone marrow transplants have transformed countless lives and how these procedures are becoming safer and more effective. She is medical director of hematology and blood and marrow transplants at City of Hope Cancer Center Atlanta.

Stephen Forman, M.D., has been rewriting the rules of cellular therapy for decades. He has been instrumental in dramatically advancing survival rates for blood disorders and is currently focused on immunotherapy. Dr. Forman is director of the Hematologic Malignancies Research Institute at City of Hope.

Howard Chew was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma when he was 54. He received CAR T cell therapy and then enrolled in a clinical trial evaluating an investigational City of Hope-developed therapeutic. He is now cancer-free. Read more on his story.

2026 will mark the year AI moves beyond hype to become an integrated and measurable driver of improved patient care. As digital pathology and multi-omics AI become standard, more patients will receive treatments precisely matched to their cancer’s unique signature.

City of Hope is advancing the future of cancer care by developing AI agents capable of independently uncovering meaningful, unbiased insights from large clinical and genomic datasets, thus accelerating breakthroughs in precision medicine. Additionally, in research settings, its AI-guided robotic systems are enhancing complex cancer surgery to improve accuracy, reduce complications and shorten recovery time.

“We are moving toward a future where treatment decisions are guided by predictive insights delivered through multimodal, fully orchestrated agentic AI capabilities able to show us what’s likely to happen next, not just what’s happening now,” said Simon Nazarian, chief digital and technology officer at City of Hope.

Next year will mark the start of a dramatic increase in access to clinical trials, a result of new, decentralized approaches to opening trials, a fresh look at trial eligibility criteria and AI-driven approaches to matching patients with the right trial no matter where they live.

While U.S. patient enrollment in clinical trials is expected to increase by 6% in 2026, City of Hope experts predict that AI-powered biomarkers and patient-matching tools are poised to improve clinical trial enrollment rates by up to 26%, escalating the development of targeted therapies.

City of Hope’s HopeLLM, which is streamlining eligibility assessment and assisting in patient onboarding to hundreds of clinical trials, is accelerating rapid clinical trial selection. This AI platform can extract real-world data for research, empowering City of Hope teams to deliver personalized care and fast-track research breakthroughs.

“Every patient deserves immediate access to clinical trials, which are essential for developing tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments. By rethinking trial design and delivery, we’re building a future where lifesaving treatments move at the speed of need, not the limits of location,” said Edward Kim, M.D., M.B.A., vice physician-in-chief, City of Hope National Medical Center and system director, Clinical Trials.

City of Hope experts and patients:

John Carpten, Ph.D., can speak to cancer innovations and access. He is an internationally recognized expert in genome science, including precision medicine. He is chief scientific officer at City of Hope and the Irell & Manella Cancer Center Director's Distinguished Chair and Morgan & Helen Chu Director's Chair of the Beckman Research Institute.

Michelle Vacca was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 49. New treatment advances and enrolling in a clinical trial have kept her disease stable for the past eight years. Read more on her story.