If you have worked in oncology as long as I have—eleven years of wrangling speaker bios, fixing last-minute travel logistical nightmares, and staring at slide decks that promise "paradigm shifts" when they really mean "a 3% improvement in progression-free survival"—you learn to keep a spreadsheet. My master spreadsheet of conference deadlines is my version of a safety blanket. It keeps the noise out and the schedule clear.
Every year, I get the same emails: "Is that the meeting with the big keynote?" or "Is this where the major data drops?" It is time we stop relying on vague conference website blurbs that fail to tell the working clinician who should actually attend. So, let’s clear the air for 2026.
If you are looking at your calendar for May 13-17, 2026, and wondering what is happening in San Antonio, the answer is the ONS Congress. This is the premier oncology nursing congress, and it is the event you need to circle in red ink if you work in clinical practice, infusion, or survivorship.
Before we dive into the agenda, take a second to share this guide with your department heads or clinical team:
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The ONS San Antonio 2026 Experience
Why choose this over the massive research-heavy meetings like ASCO or AACR? Those conferences are vital for drug discovery and the "bench-to-bedside" pipeline, and NCCN remains the gold standard for clinical practice guidelines. However, the ONS Congress is different. It is built for those of us who have to manage the reality of a patient’s life while the research is being translated into practice.
While ASCO focuses on the data behind a new monoclonal antibody, the ONS San Antonio 2026 sessions are designed to help you explain that same antibody to a patient, recognize the Grade 3 skin toxicity before it becomes Grade 4, and manage the administrative burden of oral adherence.
Conference Schedule Overview
Date Focus Area Target Audience May 13 Pre-Conference Intensive Workshops Advanced Practice Providers, Nurse Educators May 14 Targeted Therapy & Immunotherapy Management Infusion Nurses, Clinical Coordinators May 15 Precision Oncology & Biomarkers Oncology Nurses, Genetic Counselors May 16 Clinical Trials & Translational Research Research Nurses, Study Coordinators May 17 AI, Tech, & Symptom Management Nursing Leadership, Informatics TeamsDiving into the 2026 Themes
I am allergic to buzzwords. If I hear "holistic paradigm shift" one more time in a session description, I might actually walk out. Let’s look at what these themes actually mean for your practice.
1. Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy
The honeymoon phase of immunotherapy is over; we are now in the "long-term toxicity management" phase. The 2026 sessions will move beyond simple teaching on checkpoint inhibitors. We are looking at late-onset immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and how they intersect with patients’ comorbidities. If you are not coming away with a concrete plan to differentiate a flare from a progression in the clinic, the session failed you.
2. Precision Oncology and Biomarkers
It is not just about having a report with an NGS result anymore. It is about biomarker literacy. How do you explain to a patient that a specific mutation is the target, but they are not eligible for the trial because of a concomitant condition? The focus here is on the communication gap between the tumor board recommendation and the patient’s actual treatment plan.
3. Clinical Trials and Translational Research
Research nurses know this best: a protocol is only as good as its implementation. These sessions in San Antonio will focus on "translational" in the truest sense. How does an abstract's success translate to a busy clinic with a high patient-to-nurse ratio? Expect sessions that prioritize workflow integration, trial recruitment, and ethical oversight in a landscape that is increasingly complex.
4. AI and Computational Oncology
There is a lot of hype surrounding AI in cancer care. My editorial advice? Ignore the promises that "AI will replace the bedside nurse." Instead, look for sessions on computational nursing—how AI tools can handle the administrative drudgery of symptom management documentation or predictive modeling for neutropenic fever risk. That is where the value lies.
Symptom Management Sessions: The "Must-Attend" Category
The core of the oncology nursing congress dates is, and always will be, symptom management. You can have the most advanced precision medicine program in the country, but if your patient is suffering from unmanaged neuropathy or cancer-related fatigue, you are failing the patient. Look for the breakout sessions on:
Multidisciplinary approaches to chronic pain in the opioid-conscious clinic. Integrating telehealth into symptom monitoring for patients on oral targeted therapies. Managing the psychosocial intersection of financial toxicity and physical symptoms.The "Monday Morning" Test
I have spent over a decade planning these events, and I have seen too many attendees leave a session feeling "inspired" only to return to the office and change nothing. If you take one piece of advice from this former program coordinator, let it be this: What will you do differently on Monday?
When you walk back into your clinic on the Monday following the ONS Congress, don’t precision oncology summit 2026 just stack your program guide on your desk. Choose one thing. Will you update your clinic’s toxicity assessment tool? Will you start a new huddle process for patients on immunotherapy? Will you change how you deliver the "biomarker results" conversation?
If you don't have a plan for Monday, you’ve just spent five days listening to presentations that will evaporate by Tuesday. Our patients deserve more than our passive attendance; they deserve the clinical evolution that happens when we apply what we learn.
Final Practical Advice for San Antonio
San Antonio in May is beautiful, but the convention center HVAC is a beast. Pack layers. More importantly, prioritize your breakout sessions based on your actual clinical gaps. If you are an infusion nurse, don't waste your time in a high-level research theory talk unless you have a specific goal for your practice. Use that spreadsheet I mentioned—keep track of who is presenting what, cross-reference it with your unit’s current challenges, and be ruthless about your time.
I’ll be there, likely updating my spreadsheet and checking to see if the session speakers are actually hitting their marks. I hope to see you there, ready to take back real, actionable changes to your team.
Do not forget to keep your team in the loop. Use the links below to organize your department’s attendance:
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