An updated edition of the October 28, 2025, article.
The global oncology market is entering a period of significant evolution, supported by rising cancer incidence and rapid scientific advancement. The American Cancer Society estimates that the United States will record approximately 2.04 million new cancer diagnoses and more than 618,000 cancer-related deaths in 2025. Globally, aging populations and lifestyle-related risk factors are contributing to higher cancer prevalence, prompting sustained growth in healthcare spending on oncology.
At the same time, innovation is reshaping cancer care. Breakthroughs in immunotherapies, targeted treatments and personalized vaccines have broadened therapeutic options well beyond conventional chemotherapy and radiation. Immune-based strategies — including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T therapies, therapeutic vaccines and oncolytic viruses — harness the body’s immune system to target tumors. Targeted therapies improve treatment precision by focusing on specific genetic alterations, while personalized cancer vaccines mark a meaningful advance in precision oncology.
Emerging technologies such as genomic sequencing, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are accelerating biomarker discovery, enhancing patient stratification and supporting earlier diagnosis. While a universal cure remains out of reach, improvements in survival rates and quality of life across several cancer types underscore the impact of scientific progress and earlier intervention.
Pharmaceutical companies are responding with aggressive investment. Global leaders —including Novartis, AstraZeneca, J&J JNJ, Pfizer PFE, AbbVie ABBV, Merck MRK, Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly LLY — are strengthening their oncology portfolios with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecific antibodies and next-generation immuno-oncology therapies. Smaller biotech firms continue to play a critical role in innovation, driving partnerships, licensing agreements and acquisitions as larger players seek differentiated and high-potential assets.
Supported by ongoing innovation, favorable reimbursement dynamics and a growing range of treatment options, oncology remains one of the most durable and attractive segments within the global healthcare sector for long-term investors.
With our thematic screens, you can easily spot stocks tied to trends shaping the future of investing. If the cancerspace appeals to you and you’re looking to align your portfolio with this rising trend, now might be the time to consider stocks like J&J, ImmunityBio IBRX, and Foghorn Therapeutics FHTX.
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J&J is one of the key pharmaceutical players in the oncology segment with significant expertise in blood cancers and solid tumors.
Its Oncology segment, at present, comprises around 27% of its total revenues. Its oncology sales rose 20.6% on an operational basis in the first nine months to $18.52 billion, driven by strong market growth and share gains of key products such as multiple myeloma treatment Darzalex and prostate cancer drug, Erleada. New cancer drugs, such as Carvykti, Tecvayli, Talvey and Rybrevant, plus Lazcluze, contributed significantly to growth as they witnessed strong launches.
Meanwhile, J&J’s oncology pipeline has gained strong momentum in the last couple of years with promising developments in colorectal and head and neck cancers. In this period, J&J had eight proof-of-concept readouts, which led the candidates to move to late-stage pivotal studies across the portfolio. If these pipeline drugs are eventually approved, they can also boost JNJ’s oncology sales.
J&J is also building its oncology pipeline through M&A deals. Last month, it announced a definitive agreement to acquire Halda Therapeutics, which will strengthen its oncology pipeline, mainly in prostate cancer, where it already has a strong presence with drugs like Zytiga, Erleada and Akeega.
J&J expects its oncology sales to reach $50 billion by the end of the decade.
J&J has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
ImmunityBio’s lead drug, Anktiva, was approved in April 2024 in combination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) to treat BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in the United States. Anktiva, a first-in-class IL-15 agonist IgG1 fusion complex, is witnessing strong demand trends and has generated $74.7 million in year-to-date sales, with volumes rising 467%.
The drug is under review in the EU. Last week, the European Medicines Agency recommended granting a conditional marketing authorization in the EU for Anktiva for treating NMIBC that does not respond to BCG.
ImmunityBio is simultaneously evaluating Anktiva, either as a monotherapy or in combination with other agents, for expanded use in bladder cancer as well as for other cancer indications like NSCLC, glioblastoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In NSCLC studies, it has shown potential to reverse lymphopenia and extend overall survival, while in glioblastoma studies, it showed strong data in achieving disease control. ImmunityBio has a Zacks Rank #2.
Leveraging its proprietary Gene Traffic Control platform, Foghorn Therapeutics is developing new precision therapies that address genetically driven vulnerabilities within the chromatin regulatory system.
It has a collaboration with Lilly to co-develop and co-commercialize its selective SMARCA2 oncology program and an additional undisclosed oncology target. In collaboration with Lilly, Foghorn’s lead candidate FHD-909, a first-in-class SMARCA2 inhibitor, is advancing in a phase I dose escalation study for the treatment of SMARCA4-mutated cancers with a focus on NSCLC. Initial data from the study is expected in 2026. FHD-909 has shown significant anti-tumor activity across multiple SMARCA4-mutant lung tumor models. There is a significant unmet need for treating SMARCA4 mutant NSCLC patients.
Foghorn’s pre-clinical pipeline includes wholly-owned, first-in-class selective degrader programs targeting CBP, EP300 and ARID1B genes. Foghorn has a Zacks Rank of 2.
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Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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ImmunityBio, Inc. (IBRX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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