Experts Predict ‘Plural’ Cures for Cancer Through Early Detection and Immunotherapy

Leading oncologists and researchers gathered at the TIME100 Health Leadership Forum in New York on Thursday to reflect on the accelerating pace of cancer breakthroughs and the extensive work still required to find a cure. The event, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, highlighted how increased investment is transforming cancer from a historically devastating illness into a manageable and often preventable condition.

Shane Jacobson, CEO of both the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, emphasized that resources have been pivotal to recent discoveries. He noted that philanthropic investments and federal funding have enabled scientists to achieve today’s advances in prevention and treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is omnipresent in the United States, with one in three men and women expected to receive a diagnosis during their lifetimes.

Jacobson explained that current innovations are built on decades of accumulated knowledge and even past failures. He pointed to the promising results of an mRNA cancer vaccine recently announced by Moderna and Merck as evidence of this progress. Unlike the past, when major scientific milestones were celebrated annually, Jacobson noted that these breakthroughs now occur almost monthly, a trend he expects to continue.

However, Jacobson warned that innovation will fall short of its full potential if access remains unequal. Ensuring that all patients can obtain necessary drugs and therapies was cited as a critical companion to scientific discovery.

Dr. Andrea Cercek, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a 2025 TIME100 Health honoree, highlighted vaccines and immunotherapy as powerful new tools. She described the immune system as the body’s most potent defense, capable of fighting disease when properly equipped to recognize foreign threats.

Cercek shared her own pioneering research involving a specific type of rectal cancer. In a 2024 study, she and her colleagues found that patients treated with an immunotherapy drug for six months showed no detectable tumors, eliminating the need for chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. She stated that her team is now very close to applying similar treatments to other cancer types, potentially sparing patients from invasive procedures.

When TIME senior health correspondent Alice Park asked the panel if cancer will ever be cured, Cercek responded affirmatively, predicting that early detection and prevention will ultimately be the key. Jacobson agreed, adding that there will likely be multiple cures rather than a single solution. The forum was also supported by sponsors including Kite, a Gilead Sciences company, Insulet, Musely, and NMDP.