$11+ Million in Research Funding

Over the course of this year’s meeting, more than $11 million was provided to researchers representing 33 countries to help accelerate oncology research across the globe.

"It should give us all hope to realize how competitive these awards have become: It means that, around the world, brilliant minds are constantly at work to conquer cancer," said Dr. Howard Burris, chair of the Conquer Cancer Board of Directors. "That determination is at the very heart of Conquer Cancer’s story. And so is this: We believe — we know — that cancer research saves lives. You save lives."

Learn more about this year’s awards and the research they’ll support.

44,000 Attendees Learned About a Rare Cancer Story

Get to know grant recipient Dr. Chi Viet, her patients,
and how they’re conquering cancer together.

During this year’s meeting, we were honored to share the story of Dr. Chi Viet, a dentist turned cancer surgeon, whose research and practice focuses on improving outcomes for patients with oral, head, and neck cancers. Many of Dr. Viet's patients — including the two featured in this story — face rare and painful cancers for which research is often underfunded. Conquer Cancer funding helped to jumpstart Dr. Viet’s research, opening doors much faster than would've otherwise been possible. As Dr. Viet shares in this short video, support from Conquer Cancer donors ultimately advances research that, in turn, leads to better treatment and higher quality-of-life for patients.

400+ Grants and Awards

More than 400 grants and awards were provided to physician-scientists spanning multiple areas of cancer research, including precision medicine, breast cancer, palliative care, geriatric oncology, rare tumors, health services, pancreatic cancer, and more.

Conquer Cancer researchers work in nearly every branch of oncology, helping to bring lifesaving breakthroughs from the bench to the bedside. Watch as some of them find out their projects will receive funding.

See what it’s like when researchers learn they’re receiving a Conquer Cancer grant.

25^th Endowed Young Investigator Award

Learn how our first grant recipient is paying it forward.

Dr. Judith Kaur, the first-ever recipient of a grant from our organization, became the 25th donor to endow a Young Investigator Award (YIA).

These grants provide early career researchers with critical seed funding to help accelerate the next generation of cancer research. Because they’re endowed, these 25 grants can be awarded every year, guaranteeing research funding for years to come.

4 Conquer Cancer Grant Recipients Take Center Stage

Each year, one of the highpoints of the ASCO Annual Meeting is the Plenary Session, viewed by nearly all conference attendees and highlighting the most promising research happening across the field of oncology.

In what might be a first, all four of this year’s Plenary Session presenters were also previous recipients of a Conquer Cancer grant. This year’s plenary presenters included:

• Dr. Deborah Schrag (1998 YIA), who found an effective treatment strategy for patients with advanced-stage rectal cancer.
• Dr. Roy Herbst (1997 YIA), who shared how an emerging drug can help a subset of patients with lung cancer to live longer.
• Dr. Ingo Mellinghoff (2003 YIA), who uncovered a promising treatment approach that can improve survival and quality of life for certain patients with glioma.
• Dr. Alex Herrera (2014 YIA), who showed how a new combination therapy can reduce risks of cancer-related death for patients with advanced-stage lymphoma.

Conquer Cancer grant recipient, Dr. Roy Herbst, presenting at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Learn more about other researchers supported by Conquer Cancer.