The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 in Barcelona showcased practice-changing results and the latest advancements in clinical cancer research. The meeting drew over 30,000 delegates from 149 countries, highlighting the global effort to improve cancer treatment outcomes.
Immunotherapy Integration in Early-Stage Tumors
Several phase III trials presented at the Presidential Sessions emphasized the integration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with standard-of-care chemotherapy and local treatments to extend the benefits of immunotherapy to patients with resectable early-stage tumors or unresectable locally advanced cancers.
An update from the KEYNOTE-522 trial confirmed that the addition of perioperative pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for stage II-III triple-negative breast cancer resulted in an overall survival (OS) benefit. The data showed an OS rate of 86.6% in the pembrolizumab arm versus 81.7% in the control arm at 60 months (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50-0.87; P = 0.002).
Durvalumab in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
The NIAGARA trial demonstrated that adding perioperative durvalumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy improved both event-free survival (EFS) and OS in cisplatin-eligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This study underscores the potential of combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy in treating this aggressive cancer type.
Pembrolizumab in Cervical Cancer
In the ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047/KEYNOTE-A18 trial, the addition of concurrent and maintenance pembrolizumab to chemoradiotherapy improved OS in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. The three-year OS rate was 82.6% in the pembrolizumab arm compared to 74.8% in the control arm (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50-0.90; P = 0.004).
Pembrolizumab and Lenvatinib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The LEAP-012 trial, involving patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, revealed that the combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib with transarterial chemoembolization significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS). The median PFS was 14.6 months in the combination arm versus 10.0 months in the control arm (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51-0.84; P = 0.0002). An early trend towards improved OS was also observed (HR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.57-1.11; P = 0.087).
Retifanlimab in Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Furthermore, in the POD1UM-303/InterAACT 2 trial, patients with previously untreated locally recurrent or metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma experienced a significant PFS benefit from the addition of retifanlimab to chemotherapy. The median PFS was 9.3 months versus 7.4 months (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.47-0.84; P = 0.0006), with immature data indicating a strong trend towards improved OS (median 29.2 versus 23.0 months; HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.49-1.01; P = 0.027).
