Highlights from the 2014 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

The 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) was held at the San Diego Convention Center from April 5 to 9, 2014. The conference theme – ‘Harnessing Breakthroughs — Targeting Cures’ – reflected the accelerating rate at which basic science is being translated to the clinic. Given the size of the meeting (18,500 registrants, 700 invited speakers, over 1000 oral presentations, and 6000 posters) this review is inevitably a snapshot. We have attempted to highlight major themes that spanned tumor types but are likely to be very important to future gynecologic research and treatment. These themes included the increasing excitement associated with immune-mediated therapy, improved understanding of tumor evolution and adaptation to molecularly targeted agents, and a growing appreciation of the importance of combined molecular therapies to enhance efficacy and pre-empt resistance. Within this context, the need for better cellular and animal model systems, and the use of innovative clinical trial designs featured strongly in the development of novel therapeutic strategies.