Oncology is the dynamic field dedicated to understanding and treating cancer, a complex group of diseases where cells grow uncontrollably. This area of study spans everything from identifying genetic mutations that drive tumor formation to developing new therapies and improving patient care strategies. Because cancer research moves at a rapid pace, staying updated with the very latest findings is essential for both experts and the curious public.

At Gist.Science, we curate the most recent preprints in oncology directly from medRxiv, ensuring you have immediate access to cutting-edge research before it undergoes formal peer review. We process every new submission in this category, transforming dense scientific manuscripts into both plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries. This dual approach makes critical discoveries accessible to everyone, regardless of their background in medicine or biology.

Below are the latest oncology papers added from medRxiv, complete with our simplified explanations and full technical breakdowns to help you navigate the latest breakthroughs in cancer science.

Beyond Binary MRD: Quantitative ctDNA Interpretation After Curative-Intent Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

This study demonstrates that post-operative minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in colorectal cancer is highly sensitive to analytical thresholds, revealing that a substantial proportion of residual disease signals reside below the conventional 100 ppm limit and that ultrasensitive ctDNA monitoring effectively identifies patients at risk of recurrence.

Kim, J., Ye, S., Kwak, J.-M., Choi, D., Kim, S., Jeong, H. J., Hong, E., Lee, J. W., Kim, S., Won, Y.-H., Koo, S. S., Lee, I. S., Park, T., Yoon, J. B., Oh, H., Lee, Y. J., Ahn, S.-J., Kim, J.-S., Kim (…)2026-03-10🔬 oncology

Attention-Enhanced U-Net Segmentation for Reliable Detection of Circulating Tumor-Associated Cells.

This study demonstrates that an attention-enhanced U-Net model achieves robust and generalizable performance in detecting rare circulating tumor-associated cells across diverse clinical cohorts, supporting its utility for reliable multi-cancer early detection and diagnostic triaging.

Cristofanilli, M., Limaye, S., Rohatgi, N., Crook, T., Al-Shamsi, H., Gaya, A., Page, R., Shreeniwas, A., Patil, D., Datta, V., Akolkar, D., Schuster, S., Agrawal, P., Patel, S., Shejwalkar, P., Golar (…)2026-03-09🔬 oncology

Gene to Morphology Alignment via Graph Constrained Latent Modeling for Molecular Subtype Prediction from Histopathology in Pancreatic Cancer

This paper proposes a graph-constrained latent modeling framework that aligns histopathology-derived morphological features with a fixed gene coexpression network to predict pancreatic cancer molecular subtypes using only routine tissue slides, achieving high accuracy (85% AUC) and enabling virtual transcriptomics without requiring actual gene sequencing.

Leyva, A., Akbar, A., Niazi, K.2026-03-06🔬 oncology

Application of a Concise Video to Improve Patient Understanding of Tumor Genomic Testing in Community and Academic Practice Settings

This study demonstrates that a concise, 3-4 minute educational video significantly and sustainably improves patient-specific knowledge regarding tumor genomic testing across diverse cancer types and both community and academic clinical settings.

Veney, D. J., Wei, L., Miller, J. R., Toland, A. E., Presley, C. J., Hampel, H., Padamsee, T., Bishop, M. J., Kim, J. J., Hovick, S. R., Irvin, W. J., Senter, L., Stover, D.2026-03-06🔬 oncology

Heterogeneity of survival outcomes in ypN1 breast cancer after neoadjuvant therapy: The role of residual nodal burden in axillary de-escalation

This study demonstrates that axillary de-escalation is a feasible strategy for ypN1 breast cancer patients with a single residual positive node after neoadjuvant therapy, but not for those with multiple residual nodes, highlighting the critical prognostic heterogeneity within this disease category.

Luz, F. A. C. d., Araujo, R. A. d., Araujo, L. B. d., Silva, M. J. B.2026-03-05🔬 oncology

Temporal dynamics of radiotherapy and chemotherapy response in lower-grade gliomas using causal machine learning

This study applies the Causal Analysis of Survival Trajectories (CAST) framework to 776 lower-grade glioma patients, revealing that chemotherapy provides consistent, sustained survival benefits with significant time-varying gains, while radiotherapy effects are more modest and sensitive to confounding, with age identified as the primary driver of treatment heterogeneity.

Yang, E., Agrawal, S., Kinslow, C. J., Cheng, S. K., Yang, L., Wang, E., Wang, T. J., Kachnic, L. A., Brenner, D. J., Shuryak, I.2026-03-02🔬 oncology

Effectiveness of Systemic Treatments in Patients with Unresectable, Advanced, or Recurrent Soft Tissue Sarcomas Previously Treated with Anthracycline-Based Therapy: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and network meta-analysis protocol aims to evaluate and rank the comparative efficacy of second-line or later systemic treatments for unresectable, advanced, or recurrent soft tissue sarcomas in patients previously treated with anthracyclines, addressing the current lack of consistent clinical guidelines due to insufficient head-to-head evidence.

Nakano, Y., Zenitani, S., Endo, M., Mihara, T.2026-02-28🔬 oncology

Fertility in the Shadow of Cancer: Experiences of Reproductive Loss Among Women with Gynecological Cancers in Ghana

This qualitative study of reproductive-aged women with gynecological cancers in Ghana reveals that cancer-related infertility constitutes a profound multidimensional burden threatening womanhood and social standing, necessitating the integration of fertility counseling, psychosocial support, and economic protection into local cancer care.

Afaya, A., Amenah, D. B., Chambas, F., Aidoo, P., Gideon, O. A., Vidzor, M., Aidoo, B., Afaya, R. A., Avane, M. A., Daniels-Donkor, S. S., Daliri, D. B., Salia, S. M.2026-02-28🔬 oncology

Effects of Arylsulfatase B and Pembrolizumab in Combination on Progression of Metastatic Melanoma in the B16F10 Syngeneic Mouse Model

This study demonstrates that combining Arylsulfatase B (ARSB), which promotes melanoma cell apoptosis via COP1 upregulation, with Pembrolizumab, which targets cytotoxic lymphocytes, yields synergistic effects that reduce tumor invasiveness and improve survival outcomes in metastatic B16F10 melanoma.

Bhattacharyya, S., O-Sullivan, I., Tobacman, J. K.2026-02-27🔬 oncology