Breaking with Dogmas: Illuminating what holds us back and what moves us forward

After a decade of unprecedented progress in oncology—cell and gene therapies, radiopharmaceuticals, precision biologics—the field is still haunted by a paradox. Although the current R&D paradigm does yield phenomenal new treatments, the massive cost and inefficiency of the process result in a questionable return on investment.

At Cancer Progress 2025, Breaking with Dogmas: What’s Holding Us Back? leaders from biotech, big pharma, and translational research confronted this contradiction head-on. The panel discussion identified six major dogmas that should be challenged or overturned to unlock faster and more powerful oncology innovation.