For 20 years, ACCRF has been building a global network dedicated to advancing research and developing new, effective treatments for ACC. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago remains crucial to these efforts.
A keystone event for all those invested in cancer research and treatment, the ASCO meeting brings together more than 40,000 scientists, physicians, biopharma companies, and patient advocates from around the world to share the very latest data in cancer research and treatment. With much of this data being shared publicly for the first time at ASCO, the meeting is an invaluable barometer of the current state of cancer research, and work presented there can transform treatment options and standards of care.
Both ASCO 2025 and 2026 were notable for their headline-making results from clinical trials open to ACC patients showing some of the best-ever results. Combined with an increased visibility of ACC and research from our grantees, the momentum towards finding a cure has never been stronger. The work that brought us to this moment is founded upon ACCRF’s three core pillars of action: connect, educate, and support. By focusing on these areas of impact, we continue to expand our network and raise the profile of ACC at ASCO and around the world.
Connect
For ACCRF, ASCO presents an unparalleled opportunity to meet with researchers, biopharma companies, and the FDA to expand our research network and make a compelling case for bringing novel ACC treatments to clinical trials. In our nearly two decades of attendance at ASCO, we have continued to raise awareness and interest in ACC as a target for treatment, which has culminated in dozens of clinical trials for patients, and as of last year, the best-ever results in a clinical trial for ACC.
Building on the watershed data shared in 2025 around B7-H4- and MYB-targeted drugs for ACC, at this year’s ASCO meeting we saw the following updates:
- Servier Pharmaceuticals shared early results from a Phase 1 clinical trial testing Emi-Le (a B7-H4 antibody-drug conjugate) in aggressive ACC patients, originally defined as patients with a variety of features, including solid histology, accelerated progression post-original diagnosis, extrapulmonary metastases (e.g. liver or bone), activating NOTCH1 mutations, or low p63. Among the 45 ACC patients who received Emi-Le, 16 (36%) saw their tumors shrink by at least 30%. Even stronger results were observed in a subgroup of patients whose tumors had solid histology and either accelerated progression or extrapulmonary metastases. In this group, 47% of patients (15 of 32) saw their tumors shrink by ≥30%, and 81% (26 of 32) experienced either tumor shrinkage or stable disease. At the time the results were analyzed, half of patients in the subgroup remained on Emi-Le for 7.8 months before their cancer began to grow again. These encouraging results helped support the launch of the Phase 2 clinical trial focused on patients most likely to benefit from the treatment. [PRESS RELEASE; presented by Dr. Glenn Hanna, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute]
- Remix Therapeutics shared early results from a combined Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing REM-422 in ACC patients with the appropriate MYB biomarker. Of the 7 ACC patients who were treated with REM-422 at the recommended Phase 2 dose (determined in Phase 1), 43% (3) saw their tumors shrink by at least 30%. Moreover, every patient (7 out of 7) treated with REM-422 at the Phase 2 dose saw their disease remain stable or improve, and some patients have remained on treatment for nearly two years. The response rate reported here was based on a small group of patients treated with REM-422 and does not reflect outcomes in patients who did not have the MYB biomarker or who received doses other than the recommended Phase 2 dose. The ARIA Phase 2 clinical trial is currently ongoing, and we look forward to learning whether these encouraging results are seen in a larger group of biomarker-positive ACC patients treated with the drug. [PRESS RELEASE; presented by Dr. Renata Ferrarotto, MD Anderson Cancer Center]
- Rgenta Therapeutics shared preliminary data that 8% (3 out of 39) of patients who received RGT-61159 (MYB degrader) saw their tumors shrink by at least 30% and 85% of patients experienced tumor shrinkage or stabilization. At the time the results were analyzed, half of patients remained on RGT-61159 for 7.3 months before their cancer began to grow again. [PRESS RELEASE; presented by Dr. Alan Ho, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]
The data presented at ASCO also represents an important step toward generating the clinical evidence needed to support FDA review, validating molecular targets, and sustaining biopharma investment in new ACC treatments.
Educate
Through sustained and collective effort to spread the latest information on ACC research, this year’s conference program included a session focused exclusively on targeted treatments for salivary gland cancers like ACC. The landmark session highlighted recent clinical advances in ACC and represents the culmination of two decades of work from ACCRF and our community.
The meeting also featured presentations from ACCRF grantees highlighting recent clinical advances and therapeutic targets for ACC. Drs. Patrick Ha (University of California San Francisco) and Laura Locati (Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS) presented an update on precision medicine and new drug targets for rare cancers like ACC. And, bringing even more specific focus to ACC, grantee Dr. Bhumsuk Keam (Seoul National University Hospital) gave an address entitled “ACCelerating Progress: Emerging Therapies in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma”, which outlined drugs–many supported by the ACCRF Preclinical Drug Screening Platform or ACCRF funding–being explored in clinical trials and emerging targeted therapies for ACC patients. Speaking about this work, Dr. Keam noted “we are continuing to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that drive ACC, and in doing so, we can better develop drugs that directly target those pathways.”
All of these presentations represent increased opportunities for our network to educate the global cancer community about a rare cancer they may otherwise have little or no knowledge of. And, as these opportunities increase, so too do the points of connection that link our efforts to other pioneering research and treatments that may further advance our cause and benefit patients.
“We are continuing to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that drive ACC, and in doing so, we can better develop drugs that directly target those pathways.”
-Dr. Bhumsuk Keam
As we build on the advances highlighted at ASCO and the many strides our grantees make, we are likewise committed to supporting the development of the next generation of ACC researchers. This year, ACCRF partnered with ASCO to support a Career Development Award that provides research funding to a promising early-career ACC researcher for a novel clinical concept. This award was presented to Dr. Alice Weaver, a head and neck medical oncologist at the University of Colorado – Denver to support a clinical trial testing a novel drug for advanced ACC patients. More information will be shared once the trial opens for recruitment.
The conference also saw medical oncologist Dr. Felippe Lazar Neto from MD Anderson Cancer Center awarded a 2026 Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award for his ACC project focused on investigating transcriptional differences and clinical outcomes among ACC from different primary sites. He also had a ASCO Merit Award for the work presented on ACC and methylation subtyping using liquid biopsies. A highly promising and dedicated researcher, Dr. Lazar Neto is the protege of longtime ACCRF grantee Dr. Renata Ferrarotto of MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was herself the recipient of ACCRF’s first Career Development Award in partnership with ASCO in 2017. Dr. Ferrarotto exemplifies how early career scientists with an interest in ACC can become the vanguard in our search for a cure when they are given the resources to pursue their research.
Both Drs. Weaver and Lazar are incredibly gifted and dedicated scientists whose early career work demonstrates not only a burgeoning new generation of talented researchers, but also a growing interest in ACC as a field of study. In response to his award, Dr. Lazar Neto said, “it is incredibly gratifying to have this work recognized, and I am honored to be a part of such a committed and brilliant network of scientists who are working towards a cure for ACC.”
Looking Ahead
Through donor support, ACCRF has made critical investments to identify promising drug targets, demonstrate their therapeutic potential in ACC, and build partnerships to advance new treatments for ACC patients. ASCO highlights the many advancements we have made as a community in ACC research and affirms our path forward to new treatments. We are incredibly grateful to all those who championed our work and are indebted to our incredible patient community whose courage makes this work possible. Their participation in clinical trials is the only way we can truly understand the efficacy of novel treatments. Through bravery, foresight, and selflessness, these ACC patients bring us closer to a cure every day.