Antibody–drug conjugates are rapidly expanding both in the clinical treatment of cancer and in preclinical development. In this Review, Zippelius et al. highlight the molecular interactions and immune system effects of these sophisticated drugs that drive their efficacy and toxicity.

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an emerging pharmacological modality in cancer therapy. In this Review, Hinterndorfer et al. outline the mechanistic bases of TPD and discuss the characteristics, advantages and applications of established compounds as well as upcoming classes of degraders.

Acquired therapeutic resistance is a key contributor to cancer treatment failure, requiring new approaches to address its complex mechanisms. In this Roadmap, Soragni, Knudsen and colleagues discuss the mechanisms of acquired resistance and the models to better study it. Finally, they promote integration of biomarker-driven strategies and cutting-edge technologies to advance predictive and proactive prevention in cancer therapy.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 10 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41568-026-00914-2Mutant haematopoietic stem cells display broad fitness variation, suggesting that protective mechanisms may limit clonal expansion and malignant transformation. Now, Agarwal et al. identify a germline noncoding variant that confers resilience to clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) by dampening expression of the RNA-binding protein MSI2.

The nervous and immune systems have co-evolved to respond to threats, including cancer. In this Review, Amit et al. outline the reciprocal interactions among neurons, immune cells and tumour cells that regulate peripheral antitumour immune responses and discuss how these mechanisms could be leveraged to enhance immunotherapy.

In this Review, Luri-Rey et al. present evidence for the crucial role of conventional type 1 dendritic cells in cross-presenting antigens from other cells via the major histocompatibility complex class I antigen-presenting machinery, which in turn is necessary to prime CD8+ T cells, which then mount efficient immune responses against cancer. The authors also discuss how we can exploit these processes in cancer immunotherapy by increasing the number and/or maturation or activation status of this specialist subtype of antigen-presenting cell.

Dendritic cells (DCs) shape the adaptive immune response to peripheral tissue antigens and, as such, are crucial for mounting an effective antitumour immune response in cancer. This Review outlines the molecular basis of DC maturation, highlights the mechanisms through which cancer impairs DC maturation and considers the potential for DC-focused cancer immunotherapeutics.

Cancer prevention vaccines have reduced cancer-related mortalities, yet therapeutic cancer vaccine development and clinical translation continues to face challenges. Here, Zaidi, Jaffee and Yarchoan summarize the failures of cancer vaccines of the past, to highlight recent advancements in the field.

In a recent Science Immunology paper, He et al. show that treatment with the chemotherapy carboplatin reshapes cardiac-resident macrophage populations, protecting against later heart disease.

In this Review, Bruhm et al. provide a comprehensive overview of targeted and genome-wide cell-free DNA detection approaches, examining their potential to complement existing screening programmes or enhance early cancer detection for those cancers without effective screening methods.

In this Review, Kennel and Greten highlight the role of immune cells in colorectal cancer (CRC) development, progression and metastasis as well as the impact of therapies on the immune microenvironment. They emphasize the need for novel strategies to enhance immunogenicity and CRC patient stratification to improve outcomes.

The conjugation of glycoproteins and glycolipids with the dietary sugar L-fucose is known as fucosylation. In this Progress article, Bitaraf et al. describe the latest work showing how fucosylation is deregulated in cancer, influencing tumour progression and therapeutic responses, and how it might be leveraged to treat cancer.

Ageing reshapes immune composition, function and regenerative capacity, with profound effects on tumour immunity, cancer progression and treatment outcomes. In this Review, Dolan and colleagues examine how age-resolved immunoprofiling, insights from ageing haematopoiesis and preclinical modelling are uncovering immune ageing dynamics and therapeutic challenges — revealing new opportunities to optimize cancer therapy across diverse age groups.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 29 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41568-026-00911-5In a recent Science Immunology paper, He et al. show that treatment with the chemotherapy carboplatin reshapes cardiac-resident macrophage populations, protecting against later heart disease.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 27 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00901-zThe conjugation of glycoproteins and glycolipids with the dietary sugar L-fucose is known as fucosylation. In this Progress article, Bitaraf et al. describe the latest work showing how fucosylation is deregulated in cancer, influencing tumour progression and therapeutic responses, and how it might be leveraged to treat cancer.

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 23 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41568-026-00909-zOncogenic viruses cause 15% of all human cancers. Cats, which are naturally susceptible to cancers caused by feline homologues of human tumour viruses, represent an opportunity to develop treatment and prevention strategies for viral cancers using comparative oncology. Increased investment in this approach could benefit both pets and people.