ASCO Unveils Promising New Cancer Treatments

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago, researchers presented several advances in oncology. Professor Amanda Pysri reported that a subcutaneously administered bispecific monoclonal antibody reduced tumor size in 47 % of patients with advanced, smoking‑related cancers, with some achieving complete remission. She also highlighted Daraxonrasib, a new pancreatic‑cancer drug that doubled survival in metastatic cases, and discussed targeted therapies for head‑and‑neck, lung adenocarcinoma, sarcoma and oral cancer.

In a separate ASCO presentation, the investigational drug gedatolisib—an inhibitor of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway—was evaluated in the VICTORIA‑1 trial involving 362 patients with hormone‑receptor‑positive, HER2‑negative metastatic breast cancer. When combined with palbociclib and fulvestrant, gedatolisib extended median progression‑free survival to 9.3 months compared with 2 months for standard therapy, representing a 76 % reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. The benefit was especially pronounced in patients with PIK3CA mutations. Safety data showed a manageable adverse‑event profile.