Conference Highlights: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting

The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) annual meeting wrapped up on June 4, 2024. Below are selected highlights of the research presented at the meeting.

Ribociclib plus endocrine therapy reduces recurrence risk in early breast cancer

More than 90% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer have early breast cancer (EBC). Despite undergoing adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) or being declared in remission, patients with EBC remain at risk for recurrence. New data from the phase 3 NATALEE trial showed that ribociclib (RIB) plus endocrine therapy (ET), compared with ET alone, led to improved rates of invasive disease-free survival (iDFS), distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS), and distant disease-free survival (DDFS) in high-risk early breast cancer (EBC) patients with node-negative (N0) disease. Read more.

Adagrasib shows PFS benefit over docetaxel in previously treated KRASG12C-mutated NSCLC

In the phase 3 KRYSTAL-12 trial, adagrasib (ADA) demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) over docetaxel (DOCE) in patients with previously treated KRASG12C-mutated NSCLC. The safety profile of ADA was consistent with previous reports, with no new safety signals detected. These results further support ADA as a treatment option in this population. Read more.

SC vs. IV amivantamab with lazertinib in EGFR-mutated, advanced NSCLC

The phase 2 PALOMA-2 study evaluated subcutaneous amivantamab combined with lazertinib (SC ami + laz) vs. IV ami + laz in patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletion or L858R mutations. Investigators found a comparable response rate, shorter treatment times, and lower rates of infusion-related reactions in patients treated with SC ami + laz compared with the IV formulation. Read more.

Pelabresib plus ruxolitinib reduces splenomegaly, improves anemia in patients with myelofibrosis

Updated data from the phase 3 MANIFEST-2 study found that pelabresib (PELA), an investigational BET inhibitor that aims to decrease expression of genes involved in myelofibrosis (MF), significantly reduced splenomegaly, showed a trend toward a reduction in tumor symptom score from baseline, and improved bone marrow fibrosis and anemia at week 24 compared with ruxolitinib (RUX) alone in JAK inhibitor-naïve patients with MF. Read more.

Older cancer survivors with overweight, obesity at higher risk of developing second cancer

According to a new study of men and women enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition cohort, older adult cancer survivors who with overweight or obesity at the time of their first cancer diagnosis were at higher risk of developing a second cancer, especially a BMI-related cancer. The findings highlight the importance of considering weight loss strategies and heightening awareness of second cancers in older cancer survivors. Read more.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in resectable stage III melanoma

Previously, phase 1-2 trials have shown that neoadjuvant immunotherapy is more efficacious than adjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resectable, macroscopic stage III melanoma. Results of the phase 3 NADINA trial were presented this week at the 2024 ASCO annual meeting. Researchers found that, among patients with resectable, macroscopic stage III melanoma, neoadjuvant ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by surgery and response-driven adjuvant therapy resulted in longer event-free survival (EFS) than surgery followed by adjuvant nivolumab. Read more.

Osimertinib for unresectable late-stage, EGFR-mutant NSCLC

Among patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutated NSCLC, osimertinib led to significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) than placebo. Read more.

Asciminib bests standard care therapy in patients with newly diagnosed CML

The phase 3 ASC4FIRST clinical trial compared asciminib with available TKI therapies for chronic phase CML. It found asciminib—the first inhibitor classified as a Specifically Target the ABL Myristoyl Pocket (STAMP) drug—to be a potentially safer and more effective treatment option for people with newly diagnosed CML. Read more.

Study shows artificial Intelligence accurately predicts short-, long-term survival in ovarian cancer

Positive results from Predict Oncology Inc.’s retrospective study, completed in collaboration with UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, were presented at ASCO. The study aimed to determine if Predictive Oncology could leverage its artificial intelligence and other capabilities to develop machine learning (ML) models that could more accurately predict both short-term and long-term survival outcomes among ovarian cancer patients. The authors found that superior prediction of short- and long-term survival was achieved as compared to clinical data alone. The specific drivers of the top performing models were different for the short- and long-term cohorts, identifying future research opportunities as well as development potential of a clinical decision tool. Read more.