It is my privilege to welcome all of you to the 115th American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in beautiful San Diego, California. The AACR Annual Meeting is the pinnacle event of innovation, collaboration, and breakthroughs in cancer research, and this year, we have more than 22,000 attendees and a record number of submitted abstracts. Those numbers are a testament to the importance of the Annual Meeting to the cancer research community.

The theme of this year’s scientific program reminds us of our purpose for these six days and beyond: “Inspiring Science, Fueling Progress, Revolutionizing Care.” Energizing each other, moving science forward, and transforming patients’ lives through research and education are at the heart of this year’s Annual Meeting and are central to the mission of the AACR: preventing and curing all cancers.

From cutting-edge basic science to practice-changing clinical studies, this year’s meeting showcases groundbreaking discoveries and education that will have immediate and future impact on cancer care:

• Six plenary sessions on the hottest topics in cancer research, including the opening plenary on Sunday, April 7, and a closing plenary featuring meeting takeaways on Wednesday, April 10;
• Seven “Advances In” categories, with sessions on the latest in cancer research, technology, and treatment;
• Four clinical trial plenary sessions highlighting groundbreaking research;
• More than 7,200 abstracts, a record number for the AACR Annual Meeting;
• More than a dozen forums and special sessions on topics such as communicating science to the public, pediatric cancers, and the obesity-cancer link; and
• Countless opportunities for networking and professional development.

All Annual Meeting scientific sessions, including the Educational Program via the Educational Program Pass, will be livestreamed on the virtual meeting platform, and in-person and virtual attendees are encouraged to submit questions to the speakers using the platform or the meeting app.

Annual Meeting attendees can still register for the Educational Program Pass and secure their opportunity to choose from more than 65 educational sessions and methods workshops. If you miss anything or wish to view a session again, recordings of these materials will be available on our virtual meeting platform for three months after the meeting.

There are many ways to see for yourself what the Annual Meeting has to offer.

• The Online Itinerary Planner provides fully searchable access to the full text of all proffered abstracts.
• The AACR Annual Meeting App is available for iPhones and iPads, Android devices, and other web-enabled smartphones. Once downloaded, the app allows access to the full text of all proffered abstracts without an internet connection. Users can also search, browse, and select sessions to create their personal itineraries in the app.
• The PDF edition of the Proceedings of the AACR Annual Meeting contains the full text of all regular proffered abstracts (clinical trials and late-breaking abstracts are not included) and can be downloaded to your computer or device.
• An online-only supplement to the AACR journal Cancer Research contains the full text of all regular proffered abstracts, and clinical trials and late-breaking abstracts will be published today, Friday, April 5.

As we gather in San Diego, we hope you will enjoy reading all the great preview coverage of our meeting in AACR Annual Meeting News, whether you are attending in person or joining virtually.

Thank you for joining us! I look forward to seeing you in the next several days.