Mohit Manrao: Beyond the Breakthroughs – What ASCO 2025 Reminded Me About the Fight Against Cancer

Mohit Manrao, SVP, Head of US Oncology at AstraZeneca, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“I recently returned from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, and it was nothing short of humbling.

ASCO brings together the brightest minds in cancer research, the most passionate patient advocates, and the most forward-thinking clinicians come together with a single mission: to outpace cancer.

While the breakthroughs announced from the stage and the innovation showcased in the booths that line the halls were inspiring, it’s the stories behind them – of patients, families, and researchers who refuse to give up – that resonated most. It left me thinking not only about how far we’ve come, but how much further we still have to go.

You could feel it in the energy of the room. You could see it in the data. You could hear it from the shared patient experiences.

Progress that Matters to Patients

At ASCO 2025, AstraZeneca showcased the strength and depth of our oncology pipeline across two plenary sessions, one late breaking special session and 80 abstracts. These weren’t just incremental steps forward—they represent real, life-extending, and, in some cases, life-saving progress.

These achievements also show what’s possible when precision medicine transforms from a concept into reality. We’ve moved beyond one-size-fits-all treatments. In the past decade alone, survival rates have improved dramatically across several cancers, and therapies that once seemed like science fiction are now standard practice.

We are clearly in a new era for oncology. But amid the momentum, ASCO served as a powerful reminder that too many patients are still left behind.

Throughout the meeting, we heard about persistent inequities in cancer care: who gets diagnosed early, who can afford to stay on treatment, and who gets to access clinical trials and the latest therapies.

Addressing the Gaps that Remain

The reality is that race, zip code, income, language, and insurance status continue to influence cancer outcomes across the U.S.. During an AstraZeneca forum that convened patients, healthcare professionals, the panelists highlighted the real barriers patients face in accessing care and the overwhelming journey from diagnosis to starting treatment. The discussion reinforced for me how much work remains ahead.

To move forward, we need to continue building diverse, community-based clinical trial infrastructure. We need to ensure that biomarker testing is available in all 50 states and is fully integrated into standard care—so that all patients, regardless of their background or circumstances — can benefit from the latest advancements in precision medicine.

Policy, too, plays an important role. It’s crucial that policy solutions keep pace with innovation, while ensuring that access and affordability are built into the system from the start.

Transforming Cancer Care—Together

Our goal is to launch 20 new cancer medicines by the end of the decade and to reimagine the future of oncology through innovation and access so that breakthroughs don’t benefit a small few, but every patient in need, in every corner of the globe.

We stand on the shoulders of decades of relentless research and advocacy. And today, we’re closer than we’ve ever been to a future where all forms of cancer are treatable conditions and cancer is eliminated as a cause of death.

To everyone I had the opportunity to meet at ASCO: thank you for your brilliance, your honesty, and your unwavering commitment to patients.

Let’s keep going—together. The future of cancer care is bright, but only if we ensure that no one is left behind.”

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