We recently published a list of 10 Best Cancer Stocks to Invest in for Long-Term Gains. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) stands against other best cancer stocks to invest in for long-term gain.
Surging Cancer Cases and Costs Drive Growth in the Global Oncology Market
After cardiovascular disease, cancer is the second most common cause of mortality worldwide. In January 2023, the American Cancer Society released figures indicating that by the end of 2023 alone, there would be approximately 1,958,310 cancer patients in the United States. Compared to 2010, this is a 28% increase. In the United States, it was anticipated that over 600,000 people would die from cancer in 2024, and over 2 million new cases would be diagnosed. Cancer treatment expenses are rising in tandem with the growing number of cancer sufferers. In 2020, cancer treatment in the United States cost about $200 billion, but by 2030, the total cost is expected to surpass $245 billion.
Over the past 20 years, global funding for cancer research has increased dramatically, according to the “Oncology Pharmaceuticals Market 2024” report. Between 2017 and 2022, the FDA authorized 161 new cancer medicines, demonstrating the rapid advancement of cancer treatment. According to these figures, oncology is among the most extensive fields within the field of biological sciences. From diagnosis to therapy, the whole cancer care process is covered by the oncology industry.
Global biotech and pharmaceutical businesses are always working to create more potent cancer treatments. Fortune Business Insights predicts that the scope of this undertaking will only grow shortly. In 2023, the global market for cancer medications was estimated to be worth $201.75 billion. It is projected to increase from $220.80 billion in 2024 to $518.25 billion by 2032 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3%.
The development of tailored immunotherapies for cancer treatment and the rising incidence of cancer worldwide are some of the main reasons propelling the market for oncology medications. Investing in businesses related to oncology is a profitable venture due to this growth rate. The global market for oncology medications is dominated by North America. In 2023, its market share was 45.92%.
Precision Oncology and AI Revolutionize Cancer Treatment and Diagnostics
The market for precision oncology exhibits comparable patterns. Precision oncology, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a type of treatment in which doctors select therapies while taking into account each patient’s unique tumor’s DNA signature. In 2024, the global precision oncology market was estimated to be worth $115.8 billion, according to data from Grand View Research. A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.05% is projected between 2025 and 2030. The rising need for diagnostic products, technical advancements, avoiding specific medication resistance, and the growing reduction of adverse effects of cancer treatments are all factors contributing to this growth.
AI usage is rapidly growing in the field of cancer. A study by Mordor Intelligence projects that the size of the AI in the cancer industry will be approximately $1.98 billion in 2025 and will grow to approximately $9.04 billion by 2030. This represents growth from 2025 to 2030 at a CAGR of 35.51%.
AI’s growing use in the diagnosis, analysis, and treatment of complicated oncology datasets is simplifying the process and lessening the strain on medical staff and hospital infrastructure. Although North America is the largest market for AI in oncology, the Asia-Pacific area is the one with the quickest rate of growth. Given this, we will take a look at some of the best cancer stocks for long term gains.
Our Methodology
In our methodology, we first filtered cancer stocks based on their 5-year average returns. From this pool, we identified the top 10 stocks with the highest number of hedge fund holders as of Q4 2024, according to the Insider Monkey database. In cases where multiple stocks had the same number of hedge fund holders, we used their 5-year total returns as a tiebreaker, ranking the stock with the higher return above the others.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A scientist looking through a microscope conducting research in an immuno-oncology lab.
Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 56
Total 5-Year Return: 148.46%
Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company that develops antibody therapeutics in the Netherlands. BIZENGRI, the first and only treatment approved by the FDA for individuals with advanced, metastatic, or unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that harbors a neuregulin 1 (NRG1) gene fusion, is part of its pipeline of bispecific antibody candidates.
Based on the duration of response (DOR) and overall response rate (ORR) recorded in clinical trials, this approval was given under the accelerated approval pathway. Confirmatory trials may be required to verify and describe clinical benefit before these indications can continue to be approved. Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) has granted Partner Therapeutics an exclusive license to commercialize and generate revenue from BIZENGRI in the United States.
Physician adoption of this candidate will determine its success. The long-term viability and ongoing licensure of BIZENGRI may potentially be impacted by the need for confirmatory trials to validate the clinical benefit. Despite the fact that 2024 collaboration revenue dropped to $36.1 million from $43.9 million in 2023, the approval and subsequent commercialization of BIZENGRI established a new source of income for 2025 and beyond.
TimesSquare Capital Management U.S. Small Cap Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Our preferences among Health Care stocks are those companies providing novel therapies for unmet needs that deserve premium pricing, or specialized service providers. A new addition this quarter is Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS), a clinical-stage immune-oncology biotechnology company. Their pipeline consists of several programs targeting solid tumors with various bispecific antibodies.”
Overall, MRUS ranks 2nd on our list of best cancer stocks to invest in for long-term gain. While we acknowledge the potential of cancer companies, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MRUS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.