I’m Attending ASCO Breakthrough 2026 in Singapore!

I am pleased to announce that I will attend ASCO Breakthrough in Singapore this June.

If you are unfamiliar with the ASCO Breakthrough event, I was, too. The ASCO in Asia for 2026, Breakthrough: Bridging Borders, has announced the topics for this year’s event, June 25-27 in Singapore. 

In early 2019, ASCO announced its first international meeting, ASCO Breakthrough: A Global Summit for Oncology Innovators. This event was organized in collaboration with the Thai Society of Clinical Oncology to convene leaders from diverse fields, such as information and computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), basic and translational research, social media, and biomedical engineering. The summit aims to transform oncology care delivery and examine the impact of technology on the future of cancer care.

According to Peter P. Yu, MD, FACP, the purpose of the meeting was to create an engaging, forward-looking forum distinct from traditional medical conferences that typically review the past year. The intention was to explore the future direction of oncology, highlight innovations poised to transform cancer treatment, and discuss advancements in education and research. The inaugural meeting took place in Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2019, as a collaboration between ASCO and the Thai Society of Clinical Oncology.

ASCO selected Asia as the location for ASCO Breakthrough to leverage the region’s rapid growth in oncology innovation and increased technology investments, and to address its significant and genetically diverse cancer burden. Asia accounts for over half of global cancer deaths and presents unique genetic profiles. Prevalent conditions in the region, such as stomach, liver, biliary tract, and nasopharyngeal cancers, as well as EGFR-mutant lung cancer, necessitate localized data with global relevance. The summit’s overarching goal is to transform oncology care delivery and assess the influence of technology on the future of cancer care.

The topic of Bridging Borders presents a unique opportunity for the intersection of world-class survival outcomes, profound socio-economic disparities, and a distinct genetic landscape. The region offers the insights needed to solve the next generation of global oncological hurdles. As such, the Asia Pacific location of the 2026 ASCO Breakthrough meeting is a strategic necessity.

Differences in Cancer Burden

The Asia Pacific region accounts for 60% of the global population, underscoring the magnitude of the cancer burden in this region. In 2022, Asia reported nearly 10 million new cancer diagnoses and approximately 5.4 million cancer-related deaths. These figures indicate that any breakthrough that fails to address the Asia-Pacific context risks excluding more than half of the world’s population. According to Professor Zamaniah, “Regional forums, including the 2026 ASCO Breakthrough meeting in Singapore, are powerful platforms to showcase work, form consortia, and align on methods.” The most prevalent cancer types in the Asia Pacific region differ from those observed in Western countries, highlighting the need for a region-specific approach. Among both men and women in the Asia Pacific, the five most frequent cancer types are lung, breast, colorectal, stomach, and liver. In contrast, projections for the United States in 2025 indicate that the most common cancers for both sexes will be breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, and melanoma.

World-Class Care vs. Persistent Gaps

Asia, much like the United States, presents significant contrasts in healthcare outcomes. For example, countries such as Singapore achieve world-class survival rates comparable to, or even surpassing, those of other high-income nations. These elevated five-year survival rates indicate healthcare systems with advanced diagnostics, personalized therapies, and sophisticated imaging technologies. Nevertheless, national averages frequently obscure substantial underlying inequities.

Despite the strength of high-performing healthcare systems, late-stage cancer diagnoses continue to pose a significant challenge. In Singapore, a considerable proportion of cancers, including lung cancer, are still identified at advanced stages (III-IV). This results in elevated mortality rates, as evidenced by 54.6% of lung cancer patients dying within one year of diagnosis, frequently due to delays in diagnosis.

Similar to other regions globally, these pronounced disparities are shaped by several key factors:

• Income and ethnicity: Financial constraints and cultural barriers contribute to delayed cancer screening in specific communities.
• Health literacy: Older adults and individuals with limited social support frequently encounter more complex and burdensome treatment pathways.
• Comorbidities: As cancer increasingly becomes a chronic condition, the psychological and financial burdens on vulnerable populations represent a critical equity concern.

A key component of the 2026 ASCO Breakthrough conference will be the establishment of a regional forum for the oncology community to discuss resource-stratified guidelines and solutions applicable across the full economic spectrum of the region.

Challenging the Western Default

Despite shared characteristics, significant cultural and genetic differences exist. For too long, Western applicability has served as the implicit standard for clinical relevance. Research is frequently evaluated based on its potential to influence practice in cities such as New York or London. This perspective overlooks the fact that findings shaped by Asian genetics, environmental exposures, and healthcare practices are highly relevant to billions of individuals.

The oncology community requires data that accurately reflects real-world practices in the Asia-Pacific region. This need encompasses the following areas:

• Pragmatic trials that capture local costs, side effects, and quality-of-life measures
• Biomarker validation to make sure dosing and markers are tested in the Asia Pacific populations and labs
• Local health technology assessments that rely on regional economic data, not Western cost figures, to decide coverage and care options.

Hosting the 2026 ASCO Breakthrough in Asia shows that the global oncology community needs strong involvement from the Asia-Pacific region to reach its full potential. Here, we can find ways to improve screening, close the equity gap, and ensure access to treatment for most of the world’s patients. We are not only seeking local solutions. We want breakthroughs that will shape cancer care for the next decade. 

“Our patients cannot wait for imported playbooks to catch up,” said 2026 ASCO Breakthrough Committee Chair Yun Yen, MD, PhD, FASCO, of Taipei Medical University. “Let’s ensure the next decade of oncology is built with Asia, tested in Asia, and led by Asia so that the science the world relies on is science that truly fits the people it is meant to serve.”

Look for my summary of this event sometime in July 2026