Written by Dr. Roupen Odabashian MD, FRCPC. Oncologist | Founder, MeDucation AI | Updated September 2026
The short answer: no, not if "keeping up" means reading everything. PubMed indexed about 3,000 cancer related articles per week in 2025, and the FDA posted nine oncology and hematology approval notices in under eight weeks this summer. What is achievable is narrower and more useful: knowing, within a week or two, every change that affects the patients you actually see. That takes a filter for new evidence, a check against guidelines, and a way to absorb expert interpretation without adding hours. This article lays out the numbers and the system.
How much new oncology evidence is published each week?
About 3,000 cancer related articles and more than 100 cancer clinical trial publications every week, based on PubMed indexing for 2025.[1][2]
What is changing | 2025 to 2026 volume | Per week | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Cancer related articles (Neoplasms MeSH), 2025 | 156,059 | About 3,000 | PubMed[1] |
Cancer clinical trial publications, 2025 | 5,713 | About 110 | PubMed[2] |
New cancer drugs approved by FDA, 2025 | 16 | About 1 every 3 weeks | Jørgensen, 2026[3] |
FDA oncology and hematology approval notices, 31 Jul to 23 Sep 2026 | 9 | More than 1 | FDA[4] |
NCCN guideline review cycle | Every active guideline at least yearly, plus interim updates | Continuous | NCCN[5] |
Cancer was the dominant therapeutic area for new drugs in 2025, accounting for 35% of all FDA novel drug approvals.[3] And the 16 new molecules understate the change, because most practice shifts come from new indications, new combinations, and guideline revisions for drugs that are already on the shelf.
Is it realistic to read everything relevant to your practice?
No. The most cited attempt to quantify this, by Alper and colleagues, estimated that a primary care physician would need 627.5 hours per month to read all newly published literature relevant to their practice.[6] That study is from 2004 and was about primary care, but oncology publishing has grown substantially since, and the conclusion transfers directly. You cannot read your way to currency. You have to filter.
Who has it hardest: the academic subspecialist or the community oncologist?
The community oncologist, and it is not close.
Academic subspecialist | Community or general oncologist | |
|---|---|---|
Disease sites covered | Usually 1 or 2 | Often 5 to 10 or more |
Relevant weekly evidence | Manageable within one field | Spread across many fields |
Built in updates | Disease group meetings, trial involvement, conference travel | Fewer; often one general tumor board |
Consequence of missing an update | Rare, colleagues catch it | Higher, may be the only oncologist on the case |
Workload makes this worse outside high income settings. In an international survey of 1,115 oncologists across 65 countries, the median oncologist in high income countries saw 175 new consults per year, while in lower middle and low income countries the median was 425.[7] Having practiced or trained in Syria, Lebanon, Canada, and the United States, I have seen what those numbers mean on the ground: the heavier the clinical load, the less time there is to read, and the more a good filter matters.
What does "keeping up" realistically mean?
A useful working definition: within one to two weeks, you know about every approval, guideline change, and practice changing trial that affects a patient you currently treat. That is a bounded problem. It excludes early phase data in diseases you never see and preclinical work you will not apply this year. It includes the approval that went live on Tuesday for the patient you see on Thursday.
Framed that way, you need three layers.
Layer | Job | Free option | MeDucation option |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Filter | Surface only new, relevant evidence per disease | Saved PubMed alerts plus the FDA approvals page | OncoPulse, one schedule per disease |
2. Confirm | Check whether the standard of care actually changed | NCCN "Updates" section | Same; guideline articles can be included in OncoPulse emails |
3. Understand | Hear expert interpretation of what the data mean | Subscribing to individual podcasts | Podcast Radio Station, organized by cancer topic |
How does OncoPulse handle the filter layer?
OncoPulse is a free AI agent that watches the evidence for you and emails you only what is new in the topics you choose.[9] You set it up per disease.
Pick a topic. For example, GI cancers, GU cancers, rectal cancer, or multiple myeloma. Create a separate schedule for every disease you treat.
Pick the sources. Published research, clinical trials, FDA approvals, and guideline related articles. Choose all of them or only the ones you want.
Pick the timing. Daily or specific days of the week, at the time you choose. Each schedule shows whether it is active and when the next email will go out.
The agent only sends items that match the topic, does not repeat items it has already sent, and includes open clinical trials near you. Everything can be edited at any time. It is free for oncologists, hematologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and fellows at meducationai.com/tutor/signup.
Where a free PubMed alert is just as good: if you cover one disease and write strong Boolean searches, a saved PubMed alert is exhaustive and costs nothing. OncoPulse earns its place when you cover several diseases, want FDA and guideline news in the same email, or do not want to build and maintain search strings. And like any filter, it can miss things. Treat it as the first pass, and read the primary source before changing a treatment plan.
How do podcasts fit when you have no free time?
Podcasts are the only layer that does not require new time. They ride on the commute, the gym, or the walk between clinic and the infusion unit. The evidence that they work is now randomized: in the PODCAST-HOF trial across 27 US fellowship programs, adding curated podcasts and show notes raised knowledge scores from 39.7% to 62.0%, versus 43.5% to 50.3% with standard didactics alone.[8]
The friction is finding the right episode. Excellent shows such as ASCO Daily News, the JCO Podcast, Oncology Brothers, and Two Onc Docs publish across every disease site, so a GU oncologist has to dig through lung, breast, and heme episodes to find the ones that matter.
The Podcast Radio Station on MeDucation solves this by organizing episodes under specific cancer topics. Choose a topic and you see the most recent episodes on it from leading shows like the ASCO and JCO podcasts, Oncology Brothers, and Two Onc Docs. Episodes are reviewed by oncologists and hematologists, and you can take notes as you listen that feed into your MeDucation Notebook.
What does this system look like for three different oncologists?
Clinician | OncoPulse schedules | Podcast Station topics | Weekly reading time |
|---|---|---|---|
Academic GI oncologist | GI cancers, daily at 7 am, all sources | GI cancers | About 1 hour |
Community oncologist covering solid tumors | Breast, lung, GI, GU; 2 to 3 days a week each | Rotate by upcoming clinic patients | About 1.5 hours |
Hematologist | Myeloma, lymphoma, leukemia; weekly each | Hematologic malignancies | About 1 hour |
These are starting templates, not rules. The principle is to match your alerts to your clinic list, not to the whole of oncology.
What should fellows do differently?
Fellows have a second job: boards. The same filter layer helps, but fellows should also turn what they read into questions and flashcards so it sticks. Our guide to the best AI tools for hematology oncology fellows covers the study side, and our earlier piece on podcasts in fellowship covers how to use listening time for board prep.
Frequently asked questions
How many cancer research papers are published each week?
About 3,000. PubMed indexed 156,059 articles under the Neoplasms subject heading with a 2025 publication date, including 5,713 clinical trial publications.
How many new cancer drugs did the FDA approve in 2025?
Sixteen, which was 35% of all FDA novel drug approvals that year, according to a 2026 analysis in Exploration of Targeted Anti-tumor Therapy. Many more new indications for existing drugs were approved on top of that.
What is the best way for a community oncologist to stay current across many cancers?
Set up a separate filtered alert for each disease you treat, confirm changes against guideline updates weekly, and use curated podcasts during time you already spend commuting. OncoPulse lets you create one free schedule per disease with literature, trials, FDA approvals, and guideline news in a single email.
Does OncoPulse replace reading the guidelines?
No. OncoPulse tells you what is new. Guidelines tell you whether the standard of care changed. Always read the primary source before changing treatment.
Who can use OncoPulse?
Anyone caring for patients with cancer, including oncologists, hematologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and fellows. It is free.
References
PubMed search: Neoplasms[MeSH] AND 2025[dp]. 156,059 results, accessed 24 September 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
PubMed search: Neoplasms[MeSH] AND Clinical Trial[pt] AND 2025[dp]. 5,713 results, accessed 24 September 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Jørgensen JT. FDA 2025 cancer drug approvals: targeted therapy dominates. Exploration of Targeted Anti-tumor Therapy. 2026. explorationpub.com
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Oncology (Cancer)/Hematologic Malignancies Approval Notifications. fda.gov
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Development and Update of Guidelines. nccn.org
Alper BS, Hand JA, Elliott SG, et al. How much effort is needed to keep up with the literature relevant for primary care? J Med Libr Assoc. 2004;92(4):429-437. PubMed
Fundytus A, Sullivan R, Vanderpuye V, et al. Delivery of Global Cancer Care: An International Study of Medical Oncology Workload. J Glob Oncol. 2018;4:1-11. ascopubs.org
Patel VG, et al. Educational Impact of a Podcast Curriculum for Hematology/Oncology Fellows: Final Results of the Multicenter Cluster Randomized PODCAST-HOF Trial. JCO Oncol Pract. 2025. ascopubs.org
OncoDaily. Roupen Odabashian: If You Are Responsible for Knowing What Changed, OncoPulse Is Built for You. oncodaily.com
