It is my profound honor to welcome you to the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021!

You’ve joined more than 13,000 of your colleagues from around the world for the most critically acclaimed and comprehensive cancer research meeting in the world. The AACR and its 48,000 members continue to stand at the forefront of every major advance in cancer biology, prevention, early detection, interception, treatment, and survivorship research.

The AACR set a new standard with its virtual Annual Meeting 2020, the largest virtual cancer meeting ever. Annual Meeting 2021, under the theme of “Discovery Science Driving Clinical Breakthroughs,” builds on that success and will deliver even more breakthrough scientific findings and educational content for a broad spectrum of constituencies.

For many, the learning already started yesterday with one of our exciting innovations, our On Demand sessions. We encourage you to take full advantage of these sessions, as many of them will be accompanied by a live panel discussion presented during the dates of the Annual Meeting. We recommend that you watch the On Demand session first and submit your questions for our outstanding panelists to answer during the panel discussion.

The Annual Meeting has an impressive array of compelling and comprehensive session types including:

• Five plenary sessions;
• Three clinical trials plenary sessions;
• Four clinical trials minisymposia;
• 20 minisymposia;
• 45 major symposia;
• 27 advances sessions;
• More than 10 special sessions;
• 12 forums;
• 13 award and special lectures;
• More than 3,000 ePosters.

Your registration for the Annual Meeting gives you access to all these sessions and more.  If you miss a session during its scheduled time, it will be available for viewing an hour after the live streaming ends and will remain available to registrants through June 21, 2021.

This week is just the beginning of spectacular programming.  We have divided the Annual Meeting into two sections to maximize your learning. Week 2 will take place May 17–21. For the latest news and summaries, visit the AACR News website during and after the meeting, and also check the Annual Meeting website often for details, schedules, and updates. You can also connect and engage with others through social media using the #AACR21 hashtag.

We wish to express our sincere thanks to our amazing AACR President Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR; our extraordinary Annual Meeting Program Chair Charles Swanton, MBPhD, FAACR; the entire Program Committee; our presenters and moderators; our sponsors and exhibitors; and everyone in cancer research who contributed to and will participate in this year’s meeting. And thank you to the AACR staff, whose dedication and talent have been instrumental in delivering this year’s Annual Meeting to a broad national and international audience.

And thank you not only for joining us this year at the Annual Meeting, but also for continuing to answer the call of millions worldwide who have been diagnosed or are being treated for cancer. The AACR stands with you in embracing our responsibility to work with our partners around the globe to push boundaries and propel an agenda that is scientifically bold, broad, and collaborative. The Annual Meeting is a vitally important part of our shared mission, and we’re grateful that you have joined us!