6-8 October 2026, Edinburgh, UK
Hosted by Cancer Research UK and OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

THE EARLY DETECTION OF CANCER CONFERENCE

REGISTER HERE

Join us from 6-8 October 2026 in Edinburgh, UK, for the latest scientific developments, engaging discussions, posters and lightning talks, and opportunities to network with experts from across the globe. We’ll also see the return of our Great Debates as our speakers go head-to-head to debate early detection challenges.

SESSION THEMES

  • Emerging trends in cancer risk

This session will consider the shifts in patterns of cancer risk and diagnosis, including the rise in early onset cancer and the increasing burden of cancer globally, and what this means for developing new approaches to risk stratification and early detection. It will examine how these approaches can be designed and delivered in ways that are impactful and equitable in clinical settings.

  • Digital technology and multimodal integration

This session will explore how digital technologies, such as AI, wearables, electronic health records (EHRs), and other detection modalities can drive earlier and more accurate cancer detection. It will consider how such multimodal data can be combined to strengthen individual signals and generate clinically meaningful insights, and will examine how these advances can be translated into tools that could improve patient outcomes.

  • Cancer screening and the role of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests

This session will highlight the current and emerging approaches to cancer screening, such as liquid biopsies, MCEDs and novel imaging modalities, and explore what research is needed to translate new early detection ideas into clinical use. It will consider the evidence required to demonstrate clinical utility and cost effectiveness, as well as the data, infrastructure and trial designs needed to evaluate these tools. This session will also explore the behavioural and health system factors that influence whether they can be adopted widely and equitably.

  • Biology and models of early cancer

This session will examine the biology of the earliest stages of cancer development, including the role of the tumour microenvironment and immune system, and discuss how that knowledge can be used to define and detect measurable, clinically meaningful signals of consequential disease. It will highlight emerging basic, engineering and applied early detection models that are enabling this research in a way that translate to impactful early detection and diagnosis markers.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME COMMITTEE

We are pleased to have Nitzan Rosenfeld (Barts Cancer Institute, QMUL), Alexander Davies (Oregon Health & Science University) and Sigrid Carlsson (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ), on our scientific programme committee for 2026.

Nitzan Rosenfeld

Nitzan Rosenfeld

Barts Cancer Institute, QMUL

Alexander Davies

Alexander Davies

Oregon Health & Science University

Sigrid Carlsson

Sigrid Carlsson

German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Cancer Research UK and OHSU Knight Cancer Institute present the Early Detection of Cancer Conference series. The annual conference brings together experts in early detection from multiple disciplines to share ground-breaking research and progress in the field.

The conference is part of a long-term commitment to invest in early detection research, to understand the biology behind early-stage cancers, find new detection and screening methods, and enhance uptake and accuracy of screening.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Shape the discussion: Explore and debate cutting-edge research and emerging approaches in the early detection of cancer.
  • Stay informed: Gain insights into the latest mechanistic, epidemiological, and translational studies shaping the future of early detection, leading to patient/public benefit.
  • Make connections: Foster interdisciplinary networks to support collaboration, idea generation, and the development of future research directions to promote equitable cancer strategies.
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"The development of novel early detection approaches for cancer is inherently difficult with many barriers to overcome. Cancer Research UK has recognized that in order to build and catalyze this nascent field, we must work collaboratively to create new insights in early detection biology from which new detection methods will come. We're proud to be partnering with the Knight Cancer Institute to raise the profile of early detection research and, together, develop a critical mass of talent for this long-term endeavour."

Iain Foulkes, Ph.D.Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK
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“The full potential of precision cancer medicine will only be realized when it is coupled with a sophisticated early-detection effort. We need to develop tests that distinguish slow and non-lethal cancers from more dangerous malignancies. We are committed to uniting researchers worldwide and ensuring the next generation of cancer detection becomes a reality.”

Brian Druker, M.D.Director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

ABOUT CANCER RESEARCH UK

  • Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
  • Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
  • Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
  • Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years.
  • Today, 2 in 4 people in the UK survive cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that 3 in 4 people will survive cancer within the next 20 years.
  • Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses, based in Cancer Research UK Centres and Institutes across the UK.
  • Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK’s vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

For more information, browse Cancer Research UK’s early detection research strategy and funding opportunities. To stay up-to-date with Cancer Research UK’s work, subscribe to our bimonthly Early Detection and Diagnosis Research newsletter, or follow us on LinkedIn.

ABOUT THE KNIGHT CANCER INSTITUTE

  • The Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University is a pioneer in the field of precision cancer medicine.
  • The institute’s director, Brian Druker, M.D., helped prove it was possible to shut down just the cells that enable cancer to grow. This breakthrough has made once-fatal forms of the disease manageable and transformed how cancer is treated.
  • The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center between Sacramento and Seattle – an honor earned only by the nation’s top cancer centers.
  • It is headquarters for one of the National Cancer Institute’s largest research collaboratives, SWOG, in addition to offering the latest treatments and technologies as well as hundreds of research studies and clinical trials.

For additional information on the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

If you have any questions, please contact researchevents@cancer.org.uk.