The Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers is a highly interactive one-day meeting that brings together clinicians, researchers, industry representatives, advocates, and patients to collaborate on common challenges in rare cancer research and treatment.
Leveraging the successful Think Tank model established through over a decade of TargetCancer Foundation meetings, it creates a collaborative environment where diverse perspectives and ideas thrive. This meeting also builds on the progress made through TargetCancer Foundation’s TCF-001 TRACK study, a nationwide, decentralized, patient-driven clinical trial studying precision medicine in rare cancers.
The 5th Annual Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers will take place at The State Room in Boston, MA on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
Please note: to preserve the collaborative nature of this scientific meeting, this is an in-person only meeting with no virtual option. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
2026 Scientific Keynote
We are honored to welcome Dr. Eileen O’Reilly of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as our Scientific Keynote Speaker at the 5th Annual Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers.
Dr. O’Reilly will present on: “The RAS Paradigm Shift in the Treatment of Pancreas Cancer and RAS-Driven Rare Cancers”.
Join us in Boston to learn how these novel targeted strategies are advancing clinical care and reshaping treatment options for patients with rare cancers.
Meeting Details
Agenda
*Additional speakers will be added as they are confirmed – agenda is subject to change.
| 7:30 AM | NETWORKING BREAKFAST |
| 8:00 AM | WELCOME |
| Jim Palma, TargetCancer Foundation | |
| 8:30 AM | PATIENT KEYNOTE |
| The Life Inside the Science: A Patient’s Perspective on Rare Cancer Matt Paradise, Patient Advocate | |
| 8:50 AM | SESSION 1: REWRITING RARE CANCER OUTCOMES |
| Tumor Agnostic Biomarkers in Rare Cancers: Influence of Therapy on Outcome PANELISTS: | |
| 9:50 AM | SESSION 2: AGNOSTIC BY DESIGN |
| Five Years That Redrew the Map of Rare Cancer Precision Oncology – and the Next Frontier Vivek Subbiah, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine | |
| 10:20 AM | MORNING BREAK |
| 10:40 AM | SESSION 3: RISING INCIDENCE AND TREATMENT IMPLICATIONS FOR RARE CANCERS IN YOUNG POPULATIONS |
| Ag(e)nostic Precision Oncology: An Expectation, Not an Exception Matthew Kudek, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin Young-Onset Cholangiocarcinoma: A Rare Cancer on the Rise Haley Ellis, MD, Mass General Brigham | |
| 11:50 AM | EVAN SCHUMACHER FUND FOR RARE CANCER RESEARCH EARLY INVESTIGATOR AWARD ABSTRACT PRESENTATION |
| 12:15 PM | NETWORKING LUNCH |
| 1:00 PM | SCIENTIFIC KEYNOTE: |
| The RAS Paradigm Shift in the Treatment of Pancreas Cancer and RAS-Driven Rare Cancers Eileen O’Reilly, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | |
| 1:30 PM | CASE STUDY PRESENTATION: TCF-001 TRACK MOLECULAR TUMOR BOARD |
| MODERATOR: Razelle Kurzrock, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, TRACK Principal Investigator Shumei Kato, MD, University of California San Diego, TRACK Co-Principal Investigator Mina Nikanjam, MD, PhD, University of California San Diego, TRACK Co-Principal Investigator Vivek Subbiah, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, TRACK Co-Principal Investigator Bita Esmaeli, MD, MA, FACS, Mann Eye Institute; TRACK MTB Member Bicky Thapa, MD, MS, FACP, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, TRACK MTB Member Hetal Vig, MS, MGC, TargetCancer Foundation | |
| 2:30 PM | NETWORKING BREAK |
| 2:45 PM | SESSION 4: EMERGING DIAGNOSTICS IN RARE CANCERS |
| Advancing Rare Cancer Research Through Innovative Biomarker Development Speaker 2: To be announced | |
| 4:00 PM | SESSION 5: UNKNOWN PRIMARY, UNMET NEED: THE FUTURE OF CUP TREATMENT |
| MODERATOR: Vivek Subbiah, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine Shumei Kato, MD, University of California San Diego Warnyta Minnaard, World CUP Alliance Kanwal Raghav, MBBS, MD, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center | |
| 4:45 PM | CLOSING ADVOCACY DISCUSSION |
| 5:15 PM | COCKTAIL RECEPTION AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS |
Venue
The State Room, located at 60 State Street, is centrally located in downtown Boston, MA.
Accommodations
A room block has been reserved at Canopy by Hilton Boston Downtown, located a five-minute walk (0.3 miles) from the meeting venue. Meeting attendees will receive a discounted room rate of $299/night + tax.
Please click here to reserve a room before the discount ends on Monday, October 12, 2026.
The Evan Schumacher Fund for Rare Cancer Research Early Investigator Award
Encouraging Early Career Investigators to Make a Difference in Rare Cancers
The Evan Schumacher Fund for Rare Cancer Research Early Investigator Award honors the life of Evan Schumacher by supporting early career investigators who are focused on studying rare cancers. We are pleased to invite investigators within 5 years of fellowship or terminal degree from universities, medical, and scientific institutions to submit an abstract. The top three abstracts will receive a cash award along with the opportunity to present their research to rare cancer and precision medicine leaders at the 5th Annual Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers on November 12 in Boston.
The 2026 abstract submission deadline has passed. Winners will be announced in October.
2026 Steering Committee
A. John Iafrate, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Razelle Kurzrock, MD
Froedtert and Medical College
of Wisconsin
2026 Meeting Sponsors
What participants are saying
Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Originally posted on Twitter
Razelle Kurzrock, MD
Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin
Patient Keynote Speaker,
2023 Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers
View and download materials from past meetings
2022
TCF-001 TRACK Molecular Tumor Board 2025:
Prostatic Urethral Cancer
Presented at the TargetCancer Foundation Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers, October 29, 2025, Boston MA
