Soon, you may notice a surge of exciting news about cancer. That’s because today kicks off one of the world’s largest gatherings for cancer research, the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Robin T. Zon, M.D., FACP, FASCO
2024-2025 President, American Society of Clinical Oncology
When I became president of ASCO, a global organization of more than 50,000 oncology professionals, I chose to focus on the future of cancer care. My theme became “Driving Knowledge to Action: Building a Better Future.” As a community oncologist for more than 25 years, I’ve seen firsthand how knowledge drives positive change. When the entire cancer community works together to solve problems, we are stronger than cancer.
However, knowledge alone cannot conquer cancer. We must apply what we know, using every available tool to benefit all patients. Emerging technology — specifically artificial intelligence (AI) — is one such tool shaping the future of cancer care.
The promise of AI
New AI-driven applications launch seemingly every day, offering endless possibilities. AI can transform our immense body of medical knowledge into tangible outcomes for patients and healthcare professionals.
AI can help patients learn more about cancer. A study released in January found that an AI chatbot could accurately answer general questions about colon cancer symptoms, screening, and prevention. That’s good news for the growing number of people who seek health information online before visiting their doctor. It’s important to note that the AI chatbot was less helpful in responding to questions about colon cancer diagnosis and treatment.
AI can help doctors diagnose cancer more precisely. At ASCO’s meeting, researchers will present new findings that show that AI-powered software improved the detection of HER2-positive breast cancer by 13.3%. AI made the biggest difference in pinpointing cases where expression of the HER2 biomarker is very low and challenging for humans to detect. Correctly classifying cases of breast cancer will help more patients access targeted therapies.
AI can also help improve cancer care in places with varying resources, as shown by a 2023 study from Japan, which then had no certification system for performing colposcopies (procedures to examine the cervix for disease). Researchers showed that an AI-based model could help identify precancerous lesions and recommend areas for biopsy, paving the way for more effective cervical cancer screening among Japanese women.
Hope for the future
At ASCO, we embrace innovation for improving and saving more lives, so AI will be a hot topic at our meeting. Each discovery is a beacon of hope, ushering in a future where reliable cancer information is more available, where cancer diagnoses are more accurate, and where high-quality cancer care is the standard in every community.
I invite you to read ASCO’s patient summaries covering this week’s impactful research updates. Another trusted resource is cancer.org, which, through a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and ASCO, provides one of the largest and most comprehensive online resources for credible cancer information, available for free to the public. I encourage you to use the information to start a conversation with your healthcare team to understand your risk and ways you can prevent and detect cancer.
In my career, I’ve been lucky to see tremendous progress in cancer research, but there has never been a moment quite like this thanks to the power of emerging technologies. I can’t wait to have a front row seat this week as the global cancer community comes together to drive knowledge to action.
