More than 40,000 people are expected to congregate in Chicago this week for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, and an estimated 5,800 abstracts from drug companies and oncologists are set to be presented. (Unfortunately, Taylor Swift is not going to be next door this time around.)
Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on:
- How low can Enhertu go? AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s antibody-drug conjugate continues to “take over the world,” ASCO medical chief Julie Gralow told Endpoints News last week. On Sunday, the companies plan to share data on their drug in certain breast cancer patients with low, as well as ultra-low levels of HER2. These are patients who would typically be classified as having zero HER2 on a typical lab test. Back in April, AstraZeneca announced that Enhertu staved off cancer progression in this patient population compared to chemotherapy in the Phase 3 DESTINY-Breast06 trial, and the companies plan to take the results to regulatory agencies around the world. Going forward, will these patients still need a lab test quantifying their HER2 levels?
- AstraZeneca’s continued cancer dominance: AstraZeneca has also two back-to-back plenary presentations of Phase 3 lung cancer studies — one for Imfinzi, the other for Tagrisso — and it previously reported that both trials were positive.
- Meanwhile, there’s Gilead: The company’s shares are down about 23% since the beginning of the year, and the sharpest drop in the stock came in January when Gilead disclosed Trodelvy failed a Phase 3 study in lung cancer. Gilead’s data, which are set to be shared Friday, will likely paint a fuller picture.
- Who needs immunotherapy? And how much is enough? The FDA raised concerns earlier this year about cancer patients receiving immunotherapy that they don’t need. A study conducted by the Netherlands Cancer Institute that will be presented Sunday examines whether all stage 3 melanoma patients need immunotherapy after surgery, which is currently standard practice.
- T cells are solid tumor-ing: On Friday, Immunocore will present updated results for its experimental bispecific antibody for melanoma. Part of a growing class of treatments, the drug attaches to T cells on one arm and a tumor marker on the other. Iovance will also be disclosing data on its tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy in melanoma. Another abstract that garnered interest last week came from AstraZeneca and its Chinese partner AbelZeta Pharma. It showed that out of 22 advanced liver cancer patients who received a CAR-T therapy, half responded.
Plus, on Tuesday, Endpoints will be sitting down with National Cancer Institute Director Kimryn Rathmell to talk about her first six months on the job and the future outlook for cancer research and funding. Sign up to listen to the virtual fireside chat here.