STANFORD — The cancer treatment world is experiencing a major shift, with immunotherapy taking center stage in 2025. New approvals, expanded trials, and breakthrough technologies are giving patients options that didn’t exist just a few years ago, and the pace shows no signs of slowing.
Of the 28 FDA drug approvals announced so far this year, 12 are immunotherapy agents — a clear signal that regulators and researchers see this approach as the future of oncology. CAR t-cell therapy continues to dominate headlines for blood cancers, while newer T-cell receptor therapies and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte treatments are expanding what’s possible for solid tumors like sarcoma, lung, and gastrointestinal cancers.
Stanford treated its first patient with Tecelra this year, the first engineered TCR therapy approved by the FDA for metastatic synovial sarcoma. And that’s just the beginning. The pace of innovation is accelerating across multiple fronts, from CAR T-cell refinements to bispecific antibodies that engage two targets simultaneously.
Why doctors and patients care
For oncologists, the variety of tools available in 2025 is unprecedented. CAR T-cell therapy, once a niche treatment for specific leukemias and lymphomas, is now being tested in dozens of new contexts. Bispecific antibodies — drugs that engage two targets at once — are also delivering impressive results in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
But wait, there’s more: antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, are combining targeted delivery with potent chemotherapy payloads, reducing collateral damage to healthy tissue. These therapies aren’t perfect, and they’re expensive, but they represent a sea change in how cancer is treated.
“Immunotherapy has been making moonshot strides in advancing cancer treatment,” noted a recent oncology report. Hundreds of clinical trials are underway, reporting promising outcomes across a range of cancer types. The human stories behind those numbers — patients gaining years of life, children returning to school — underscore the clinical potential and real-world impact.
What it means for patients and families
Honestly, the biggest question patients ask is: “Will this work for me?” And the answer depends on the cancer type, genetic markers, and how far the disease has progressed. But the real game-changer is access. Many of these therapies are available only at academic medical centers or through clinical trials, which means geography and insurance can still be barriers.
Costs remain high, too. A single CAR T-cell infusion can run into six figures, and not every insurer covers every new therapy immediately. For families navigating a cancer diagnosis, understanding which treatments are approved, which are experimental, and what side effects to expect is critical.
Bottom line? 2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year for cancer immunotherapy. New drugs are entering clinics, existing therapies are expanding into new indications, and researchers are combining treatments in ways that amplify effectiveness. The next phase will be about making these breakthroughs accessible to everyone who needs them, not just those near major medical centers or with top-tier insurance plans.
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