For decades, cancer has remained one of the most formidable health challenges in the United States, touching millions of lives each year and spurring ongoing quests for more effective treatments and better prevention. This week, a pair of significant developments—one in groundbreaking cancer therapy and another in federal policy—have brought renewed hope and urgency to the fight against the disease.
On August 23, 2025, President Donald Trump signed into law the Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act, a bipartisan measure designed to investigate and address cancer rates among America’s military aircrew members. The move comes on the heels of compelling new research advances in bladder cancer treatment, where scientists have reported breakthrough results using innovative drug delivery systems and molecular profiling.
According to the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a new approach called the TAR-200 drug release system has shown remarkable success in a phase 2 clinical trial targeting high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The trial, conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck Medicine, focused on patients whose cancer had previously resisted standard therapies. The results were nothing short of dramatic: TAR-200 eliminated tumors in 82% of participants, a figure that has stunned many in the oncology community.
So, what exactly is TAR-200? Described by Keck Medicine as a "miniature, pretzel-shaped drug-device duo," TAR-200 contains the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine, which is inserted directly into the bladder via a catheter. Unlike traditional methods, where gemcitabine is delivered as a liquid solution that remains in the bladder for just a few hours, TAR-200 releases the drug slowly and consistently over a three-week period. This extended exposure appears to be the key to its effectiveness.
Dr. Sia Daneshmand, a member of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and lead author of the study, explained the rationale behind this approach: "The theory behind this study was that the longer the medicine sits inside the bladder, the more deeply it would penetrate the bladder and the more cancer it would destroy. And it appears that having the chemotherapy released slowly over weeks rather than in just a few hours is a much more effective approach."
The impact was swift. In most cases, patients saw their cancer disappear within three months of beginning treatment. Even more impressively, nearly half of the patients remained cancer-free after a year. As Daneshmand put it, "Traditionally, these patients have had very limited treatment options. This new therapy is the most effective one reported to date for the most common form of bladder cancer. The findings of the clinical trial are a breakthrough in how certain types of bladder cancer might be treated, leading to improved outcomes and saved lives."
While TAR-200 represents a leap forward in targeted drug delivery, other scientists are digging deeper into the molecular reasons why some cancers resist treatment in the first place. A separate study from Baylor College of Medicine, published in Cell Reports Medicine, analyzed 60 muscle-invasive bladder cancer tumor samples to uncover the mechanisms behind chemotherapy resistance. The sobering reality, according to Baylor, is that only about 25% of patients with this aggressive cancer benefit from the current standard chemotherapy.
To unravel this mystery, researchers used a multi-omics approach—combining gene sequencing, analysis of gene activation, protein production, and the study of protein modifications. "By computationally analyzing the vast information generated by the multi-omics approach, we produced a molecular profile for each tumor sample and hoped to uncover patterns linked to resistance to chemotherapy," said Dr. Yongchao Dou, co-first author and assistant professor at Baylor.
The team’s efforts paid off. They discovered that certain proteins, targeted by a new class of cancer drugs known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), were present in different patterns across tumor subtypes. This suggests that ADCs could be used alongside chemotherapy or immunotherapy to boost treatment effectiveness. The researchers also observed that some tumors changed their subtype after chemotherapy, and that proteins involved in cell recycling and energy use became more active post-treatment—potentially helping the cancer survive.
Dr. Seth P. Lerner, professor of urology and lead author of the research, emphasized the significance of these findings: "These insights can help expand the population that can be treated effectively and improve overall patient outcomes." Dr. Matthew V. Holt, director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center Proteomics Laboratory at Baylor, echoed this excitement, saying, "We were excited about the findings."
These scientific advances are set against a sobering national backdrop. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 2 million new cancer cases are expected in the U.S. this year alone, with an estimated 618,000 deaths. Cancer-related medical costs are projected to exceed $200 billion annually, underscoring the immense human and economic toll of the disease.
Amid these challenges, the federal government is taking action to address cancer risks in a critical population: military aircrew. The ACES Act, now law, mandates the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive study of cancer and mortality rates among aircrew members who have served in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The legislation is a direct response to an Air Force study that found higher rates of melanoma, thyroid cancer, and prostate cancer among aviators and aircrew compared to the general population.
The ACES Act will focus on these specific cancers and others, with the goal of understanding whether military service and unique occupational exposures contribute to increased risks. The bill was introduced by U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), a former Navy pilot, and Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), an Army infantry officer. The bipartisan nature of the effort was not lost on its champions.
"Veteran aviators and aircrews deserve answers about the correlation between their job and cancer risks," Senator Kelly said. "Getting this across the finish line has been a bipartisan effort from the start, and I’m proud to see this bill become law so we can deliver real answers and accountability for those who served." Senator Cotton added, "We owe it to past, present, and future aviators in the armed forces to study the prevalence of cancer among this group of veterans."
The ACES Act has also garnered strong support from veterans’ organizations and advocacy groups. Jose Ramos, vice president for government and community relations at the Wounded Warrior Project, called the law a "critical step toward ensuring that veterans receive timely diagnoses, specialized screenings and the care they have earned." Theo Lawson, assistant director of legislative programs for the Fleet Reserve Association, described it as "vital legislation that directs critical research into cancer risks among military aircrew, ensuring better care and support for our aviators who have served our nation."
As new therapies like TAR-200 offer hope for more effective cancer treatment and federal initiatives like the ACES Act promise greater understanding and support for at-risk groups, the landscape of cancer care in the United States is shifting. While challenges remain, these developments mark important steps forward—both in the laboratory and in the halls of government. Patients, veterans, and their families will be watching closely as these efforts unfold, hoping that the next chapter in the war on cancer brings even more progress and fewer lives lost.
