The TYAN-YSN International Thematic Workshop on Cancer 2018 is the second of TYAN’s series of international thematic workshops. These workshops aimed at improving knowledge in specific research areas serve as a platform to close the scientific gap between scientists in the developed and developing countries and to promote international and interdisciplinary collaborations to address global challenges. The TYAN-YSN International Thematic Workshop on Cancer 2018 was held in Malaysia from the 30th of October – 1st of November 2018 at the Higher Education Leadership Academy Malaysia.