The Breakthroughs We Never Make Alone

I often find myself thinking about the patients, families and advocates who make progress in rare cancer research possible.

Throughout my career, I have seen how one patient’s experience can change the direction of an entire research program. I have seen tissue donated by families after an unimaginable loss reveal something new about a tumor’s biology. I have also seen clinicians, researchers, regulators, and advocates bring those insights together in ways that no one person or organization could accomplish alone.

These experiences have stayed with me and shaped how I approach research, particularly as we advance new therapies for rare cancers.

When patient populations are small and our understanding of a disease is limited, every contribution matters. Many patients participate in research or donate tissue selflessly—often knowing it may not benefit them directly, and with no guarantee of what the future holds. Yet, their participation helps us understand why a potential treatment affects people differently. A single donation can uncover a previously unknown driver of disease, while a trial participant can reveal a unique trait that drives response or resistance to a therapy. Clinicians can then recognize these patterns across patients, as advocates bring communities together to ensure their priorities are heard.

Each contribution helps us learn. Together, they build momentum toward better treatments and care.

I also believe partnerships with patient and caregiver communities must begin long before a clinical trial is ready to enroll. Listening to patients and families throughout the research process helps us ask better questions, design more meaningful studies and focus on what matters most to those living with a disease.

After losing my mother to cancer, I chose to dedicate my career to helping patients, especially in settings where a lack of options leaves families without a path forward. That commitment is deeply personal to me. But any progress I have been privileged to contribute to has only been possible because patients, families, clinicians, researchers and advocates were willing to share their experiences, knowledge and time.

I want to recognize the rare cancer communities whose courage, generosity and persistence continue to move science forward. The breakthroughs we celebrate are never achieved alone.