Who should attend the Think Tank?

Leaders across oncology, including clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, nonprofits, academia, government, and industry partners focused on rare cancers and precision medicine.

Is there a cost to register?

Registration is free for patients, caregivers, nonprofits, physicians, academia, and government. Industry partners and corporate for-profit attendees have a $500 registration fee.

Where is the event being held?

State Room, 60 State Street, Boston, MA, USA.

When does registration close?

Registration remains open until the day of the event and closes at 5:00 PM ET on October 29, 2025.

Will sessions be recorded?

Select sessions will be recorded and published on the event page after the Think Tank.

Visit the registration page at https://targetcancer.org/research/think-tank-advancing-precision-medicine/registration/.

Donate

Home
/
Research
/
Think Tank on Advancing...

Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers

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
	PRESENTER AND MODERATOR: Razelle Kurzrock, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin
	Ezra Cohen, MD, Tempus
	Corrie Painter, PhD, Even One Ventures
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
	Talk Title: To be announced
	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
	Simon Heeke, PhD, AstraZeneca
	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
	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.

Call for Submissions: Early Career Investigator Abstracts

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 early investigators (within 5 years of fellowship or terminal degree) from universities, medical, and scientific institutions to submit an abstract, and the top three abstracts will receive a cash award along with the opportunity to present their research in front of rare cancer and precision medicine experts at the 2026 Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers.

1st: $4,000 award, plus an opportunity to present the abstract live at the Think Tank and also present the related poster at the evening reception.
2nd: $2,000 award, plus an opportunity to present the related poster at the evening reception.
3rd: $1,000 award, plus an opportunity to present the related poster at the evening reception.

The deadline to submit your abstract is Monday, September 14, 2026.

View the Submission Guidelines

Submit Your Abstract

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

This was a fantastic #RareCancer #PrecisionMedicine meeting @targetcancer in Boston! So much enthusiasm from patients and patient advocates to move the field forward.

Vivek Subbiah, MD
Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Originally posted on Twitter

This is genuinely the best rare cancer meeting I have ever attended.

Razelle Kurzrock, MD
Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin

…thank you for allowing me to be a part of the discussion of challenges, goals, opportunities and best practices in addressing the needs of patients facing rare cancers. What a wonderful group of humans you gathered. I was so inspired.

Katie Ortman Doble
Patient Keynote Speaker,
2023 Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers

View and download materials from past meetings

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

We are grateful to our industry partners for supporting these meetings and for their dedication to developing treatments for patients with rare cancers.