The pace at which precision oncology has evolved over the past 2 decades, from the early promise of the Human Genome Project to the clinical reality of CAR T-cell therapy, antibody drug conjugates, and AI-assisted decision support, has made it increasingly difficult for even the most engaged clinician to maintain a comprehensive view of the field. In Personalized Medicine in Oncology: Precision Oncology and Transformative Technologies, Priya Hays, MS, PhD, offers exactly the kind of comprehensive synthesis that busy clinicians need.

BOOKMARK

Title:Personalized Medicine in Oncology: Precision Oncology and Transformative Technologies

Authors: Priya Hays, MS, PhD

Publisher: Springer

Publication Date: 2026

Price: Hardcover $129.99

Dr. Hays is no stranger to this terrain. An accomplished science writer with six books and more than 30 publications under her belt, she is a member of ASCO, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, and the European Society for Medical Oncology, and is ranked in the top percentage of scholars worldwide by ScholarGPS. This is her third major work in personalized medicine, and it may be her most timely.

From Genome to Bedside

The book opens by tracing the origins of precision oncology through the Human Genome Project, the Cancer Genome Atlas, and the cancer-immunity cycle that underpinned the development of modern immunotherapy. Early chapters on targeted therapies walk readers through the molecular logic of the field: how EGFR, BRAF, KRAS, and other mutations gave rise to inhibitors that have since become standard of care in melanoma, non–small cell lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. The approval of tumor-agnostic therapies like the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab and the TRK inhibitor, larotrectinib, based on molecular markers rather than tumor site, reflects how deeply genomics has reshaped oncology.

A dedicated chapter on liquid biopsy reflects both the excitement and the measured realism that characterize Hays’ approach throughout. She presents circulating tumor DNA, circulating tumor cells, and exosomal analysis as genuinely transformative tools for noninvasive tumor monitoring and minimal residual disease detection, all while being equally forthright about their current limitations in sensitivity and specificity relative to tissue biopsy.

The Immunotherapy Armamentarium

The heart of the book is its systematic treatment of the four major classes of cancer immunotherapy, and here Hays is at her most comprehensive. Immune checkpoint inhibitors covering the established CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1 axes as well as next-generation targets including LAG-3, TIM-3, TIGIT, and VISTA are contextualized not only by their mechanisms but by their limitations; the distinction between highly immunogenic malignancies like melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer and the more resistant landscape of prostate, hepatocellular, and pancreatic cancers is made with clarity and clinical relevance. Combination strategies and immune-related adverse event management round out a chapter that functions as a practical reference as much as an educational overview.

Bispecific antibodies also receive their due. Hays explains how they work by bridging cytotoxic immune cells and tumor cells, and highlights their practical advantage over CAR T-cell therapies: no complex, patient-specific manufacturing required. From the bispecific T-cell engager blinatumomab in acute lymphoblastic leukemia to the EGFR-MET bispecific antibody amivantamab-vmjw in solid tumors, the clinical breadth is on full display, alongside an honest accounting of toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome.

The chapter on antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) arrives at an opportune moment: ADCs have become among the most actively developed agents in oncology, and Hays breaks down the antibody-linker-payload construction clearly, illustrated through landmark agents including brentuximab vedotin and ado-trastuzumab emtansine. Coverage of ongoing efforts to optimize targeting, enhance the bystander effect, and reduce off-target toxicity rounds out a chapter that looks as much forward as back.

In the CAR T-cell therapy chapter, Hays covers the landmark JULIET and ZUMA trials, which demonstrated striking efficacy in pediatric patients with large B-cell lymphoma and other hematologic malignancies, while addressing the challenges that remain: the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, antigen heterogeneity in solid tumors, and the management demands of CRS and ICANS.

Looking Ahead

The final chapter on artificial intelligence is a fitting capstone. Hays surveys machine learning and deep learning in imaging analysis, cancer screening, omics integration, and biomarker identification. She also addresses the growing role of large language models in electronic health records for clinical decision support, a signal of where the next decade of precision oncology is headed.

Throughout, Hays demonstrates a willingness to acknowledge what the field has not yet solved. Topics like resistance mechanisms, off-target toxicity, the limits of liquid biopsy, and the challenge of low-immunogenicity tumors are treated not as footnotes but as central to an honest picture of where precision oncology stands today.

Personalized Medicine in Oncology is a thorough and clinically oriented reference that clinicians across oncology disciplines will find valuable. For readers of The ASCO Post looking for a single, comprehensive volume on where precision oncology stands today, as well as where it is headed, this book is highly recommended.