This year has seen a number of important developments in cancer research, and cancer treatments, according toThomas Lines, CEO of the Quercis Pharma, and Prix Galien Award winner Resuscitec.
Lines is the developer of the Quercis Pharma, Isoquercetin based and code-named drug Kinisoquin, widely used for treating cancer-associated thrombosis and sickle-cell disease.
The key cancer highlights from 2025
1. TIL Cell Therapy Approved for Solid Tumors
January, 2025: According to AACR Forecast, this development is the first-ever approval of tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for advanced melanoma and other solid tumours—marking a major milestone in cell therapy.
Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy is a type of immunotherapy that uses the body’s own cells to fight cancer. It involves removing white blood cells (TILs) from a patient’s tumour, growing them in a lab, and then infusing them back into the patient to fight the cancer. TIL therapy is especially promising for some types of solid tumours, particularly melanoma.
2. ViPOR Drug Combo Cures 1 in 3 Lymphoma Patients
February 2025: As detailed in CCR Milestones, a novel drug combination (ViPOR) demonstrated curative outcomes in over one-third of aggressive lymphoma patients.
A clinical trial evaluating this novel drug combination for aggressive lymphoma found that more than a third of patients saw their lymphoma disappear completely and not return.
The results were deemed to be beneficial and the research group seeking to establish this drug combination as a standard treatment for some lymphoma subtypes.
3. mRNA-Based Therapies Show Curative Potential
May, 2025: Documented in MD Anderson ASCO Coverage, mRNA therapies have shown promising results in colorectal and thyroid cancers, including anaplastic thyroid cancer with BRAF V600E mutations.
Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is present in all cells and delivers the instructions for making proteins. RNA-based cancer vaccines are a breakthrough cancer treatment that trains the immune system to recognise and attack specific cancer cells.
4. AI-Powered Early Detection Tools Go Mainstream
June 2025: A World Economic Forum Report has detailed how AI models can now detect breast, lung, and colon cancers earlier and more accurately, improving survival odds and reducing false positives.
Progress is apparent in three interconnected areas, including the development of methods and algorithms for training AI models, the evolution of specialised computing hardware, and increased access to large volumes of cancer data, such as imaging, genomics, and clinical information.
Each of these developments has converged, leading to promising new applications of AI in cancer research.
5. COVID mRNA Vaccines Boost Immunotherapy Survival
October, 2025: As profiled in a ScienceDaily Report, patients who received mRNA COVID vaccines within 100 days of immunotherapy lived significantly longer, suggesting a synergistic immune effect.
Researchers from the University of Florida found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines significantly increase the survival rates for lung and skin cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy.
The new study involved records of 180 advanced lung cancer patients who received a COVID vaccine within a 100-day period before or after starting immunotherapy drugs and 704 patients treated with the same drugs who did not receive the vaccine. Getting the vaccine was associated with a near doubling of median survival, from 20.6 months to 37.3 months.
Hence, the vaccine appears to prime the immune system in a powerful, nonspecific way, enhancing cancer treatment outcomes. If confirmed, the discovery could lead to a universal cancer vaccine and transform oncology care.
