New Cancer Therapies Show Promise at ASCO 2026 Conference
Results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026 meeting in Chicago highlighted several experimental treatments that could reshape care for hard‑to‑treat cancers.
An oral RAS‑targeted drug, daraxonrasib, doubled median overall survival from about 6.6 months to 13.2 months in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who had progressed on prior therapy, with a roughly 60% reduction in risk of death. The phase‑3 trial involved around 500 patients across 59 hospitals in six countries.
In a separate head‑and‑neck cancer trial (OrigAMI‑4), the investigational antibody amivantamab achieved complete tumor disappearance in 15 of 102 heavily pre‑treated patients, with a median survival of 12.5 months from treatment start.
A melanoma study combining an mRNA vaccine (intismeran) with standard immunotherapy lowered the risk of recurrence by up to 49% in a phase‑2b trial of 107 patients, suggesting a new preventive strategy for this aggressive skin cancer.
GSK reported early data on its oncology pipeline, including activity of velzatinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumors and long‑term benefits of belantamab mafodotina‑based regimens in multiple myeloma, as well as promising results for dostarlimab in endometrial cancer.
AstraZeneca used its ASCO presence to reaffirm a commitment to improving cancer detection, diagnosis and equitable care across Latin America, citing more than 85 research abstracts and 25 oral presentations at the meeting.