Welcome to OncoDaily Weekly Updates, your comprehensive roundup of global oncology news, research breakthroughs, and inspiring milestones from November 24 to 30, 2025.
This week in oncology brought together global equity debates in London, bold national science initiatives, new biotech momentum under the OncoBiotech banner, transformative investments in cancer centers, and fresh regulatory milestones in gastric, lymphoma, and prostate cancer. We also marked the centenary of a legend, welcomed new leaders to key roles, and closed the week on a note of gratitude.
OncoBiotech: From Labels to Trillion-Dollar Markets
This week marked a visible step forward for OncoDaily as we launched OncoBiotech, our growing ecosystem of industry and biotech coverage that can be closely followed on LinkedIn and X.
Eli Lilly became pharma’s first $1 trillion company, underscoring how oncology, obesity, and cardiometabolic portfolios are reshaping the valuation landscape and raising questions about how value creation translates into long-term investment in cancer R&D and access.
AstraZeneca announced a $2 billion investment to expand its biologics and antibody-drug conjugate manufacturing footprint in Maryland – an industrial bet on the future volume and complexity of oncology and immunology pipelines.
Our PopEVE feature, “New PopEVE AI Model Speeds Up Rare Disease Discovery,” explored how a transparent, EHR-integrated model can shorten diagnostic odysseys for rare conditions—another example of how AI and data-rich models are moving from hype to practical tools.
And at last, OncoInfluencers welcomed Nathan Pennell, SVP of Global Medical Oncology at Bristol Myers Squibb, in a conversation exploring how a clinician‑scientist translated a personal loss and a molecular breakthrough into a career that now shapes worldwide oncology strategy making sure scientific progress reaches and is real for patients.
National Initiatives and Health Leadership
The Genesis Mission: A “Manhattan Project for Life”
In Washington, an Executive Order launched the Genesis Mission, described as a modern “Manhattan Project for Life” – to build an integrated AI platform across federal datasets and supercomputing infrastructure to accelerate biological discovery. For oncology, the promise is the ability to simulate resistance, test therapies in silico, and move from reactive to anticipatory care at the “n of 1” level – all while freeing clinicians to focus more on the human side of medicine.
HHS MAHA Appointments and ARPA-H
Complementing that scientific push, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced five senior leaders to drive the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, including Brian Christine as Assistant Secretary for Health and Alicia Jackson as Director of ARPA-H.
Regulatory and Scientific Updates
This week’s approvals and pipeline updates added important options across gastric, lymphoma, and prostate cancer.
1/ The FDA approval of durvalumab plus FLOT for resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma brought perioperative immunotherapy into a more defined standard for eligible patients.
The approval was based on the MATTERHORN trial led by Yelena Janjigian whose reflection “The Best is Yet to Come” – framed this milestone as an important step in a longer journey to refine perioperative IO combinations and biomarker-driven strategies along with sincere gratitude to the team behind the trial.
2/ For gastric cancer, the pipeline momentum continued with DPTX3186, which received FDA Fast Track designation. The molecule targets Claudin 18.2 and is being explored as a potential new option for patients whose disease remains very difficult to treat in later lines.
3/ FDA Updated Capecitabine Label to Require Pre-Treatment DPYD Genetic Testing – a big step forward much needed to prevent excess toxicity in the affected population.
4/ European Commission approved Breyanzi for relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma, adding a CAR-T option for a population with historically limited durable responses.
Philanthropy, Infrastructure and Institutions
The week also brought powerful examples of philanthropy and institutional investment reshaping cancer care and research capacity.
At King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), Princess Ghida Talal announced that the pediatric intensive care unit has been named the “Ranah Tamer Charity Foundation PICU,” honoring a young patient whose story continues to galvanize support for children with cancer in Jordan and the broader region.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute announced a $20 million grant to accelerate metastatic breast cancer research, focusing on resistance mechanisms, novel combinations, and better outcomes for patients living with advanced disease.
In Toronto, a $50 million donation is set to build the Peter Gilgan Centre for Early Cancer Detection Research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, a purpose-built hub for liquid biopsy, multi-omics, and early detection trials—aimed at shifting cancer diagnosis from late to genuinely early stages.
Global Health Voices featured a bright story of real-world progress coming from Abuja – the “Opening New Frontiers for Cancer Care in Africa: Bringing Colorectal Cancer Immunotherapy in Nigeria”. In a conversation with Dr. Olufunke Fasawe, representing the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), which has been instrumental in shaping cancer care in Africa, we explore the story of persistence, collaboration, and belief that access to cutting-edge cancer treatment should not be a privilege of geography.
Movember and Prostate Cancer Awareness
November closed with important conversations about prostate cancer—science, trials, and awareness.
Our feature on “10 Ongoing Clinical Trials on Immunotherapy in Prostate Cancer” offered a snapshot of IO strategies under evaluation, including combinations with radiotherapy, androgen-receptor blockade, and novel checkpoint inhibitors.
Global Events in the Spotlight
London Global Cancer Week (LGCW) 2025 took center stage as a hub for conversations on equity, value, and cancer care in low- and middle-income countries. Our feature highlighted how the meeting has grown from a one-day event at the Royal Society of Medicine to a week-long platform for international collaboration across the entire cancer continuum and special insights from attendees.
“15 Posts Not to Miss from Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Meeting 2025,” highlighted the event with a format that continues to help readers quickly navigate dense conference feeds and focus on the most practice-shaping threads.
ESGO announced its newly elected leadership and opened the horizon toward ESGO 2026, reinforcing the Society’s role at the intersection of gynecologic oncology, surgical quality, and women’s health policy.
Celebrating Prof Umberto Veronesi
CancerWorld published a piece on the 100th anniversary of Prof. Umberto Veronesi, a giant whose influence reshaped breast cancer surgery, multidisciplinary oncology, and evidence-based education worldwide. His legacy continues to guide how the oncology community thinks about humanity, precision, and patient-centered care. 
A Thanksgiving for Oncology
We ended the week with “Thankful 2025” – “Science Breakthroughs in Research We’re Thankful For This Year” – a reflection on the people and progress that shaped oncology this year – the nurses, caregivers, trial coordinators, advocates, scientists, policy leaders, and patients who make every breakthrough possible.
We are thankful to our community for joining our efforts to spread quality information and news through the voices of trusted specialists themselves in this fast-evolving field.
Suggested and timely piece: Lykke Hinsch Gylvin: How Awareness, Disruptive Innovation and Shared Responsibility Can Transform Outcomes
And what a better way to end the week than celebrating women in oncology. In case you have missed our highlight article of the month “100 Influential Women in Oncology: Key Opinion Leaders to Follow on Social Media in 2025” make sure you to give it a read.
Written by Elen Baloyan, MD, Managing Editor of OncoDaily