Advances in cancer research and treatment are accelerating at a rapid pace. We asked several James scientists and physicians to tell us about an advancement that has them especially excited. Their answers were fascinating and filled with hope. This special episode was co-hosted by Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, director of the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We’ve recruited more than 200 new members to the cancer center in the past four years, that’s more that most cancer centers in the United States,” Pollock said, adding that collaboration is the key to breakthroughs and “this is the best collaborative environment for cancer research of any place I know of.” Roman Skoracki, medical director of the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, said the development of advanced chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs will reduce the need for breast-cancer surgery. “We’re already seeing tremendous responses, to the point that there’s so much shrinkage of the tumor that we’re performing smaller surgical interventions,” he said. Advances in the techniques to genetically engineer a patient’s immune cells to better detect and fight cancer is another big step forward. “One of the benefits of utilizing the immune system is we’re seeing not only good responses, but responses that last a long time because your immune system has a good memory,” said Margaret Gatti-Mays, MD, MPH, a medical oncologist who specializes in immunotherapy. Advances in detecting cancer with sensors and blood draws that can identify the proteins on cancer cells “is coming and I think faster than people realize,” said James Rocco, MD, PhD, chair of the James Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery Division. Detecting new cancers earlier will save lives. Peter Shields, a lung cancer specialist, talked about how research into the use of psychedelics is in the very early stages and “has the potential for a huge impact” in reducing stress and anxiety for cancer patients and helping to improve their quality of life.