New research presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2024 in Barcelona reveals that innovative chemotherapy-immunotherapy drug combinations improve survival in two aggressive, hard-to-treat cancers: triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
KEYNOTE-522 Trial: Pembrolizumab in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Professor Peter Schmid shared results from the Phase III KEYNOTE-522 trial, which involved 1,174 patients from 21 countries. The study demonstrated that administering the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab before and after surgery, in combination with chemotherapy, significantly reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and improves overall survival in patients with high-risk early-stage triple-negative breast cancer.
"Triple-negative breast cancer has the worst outcomes compared to other types of breast cancer," said Professor Schmid. "The results of this trial have found a much-needed new way to treat this aggressive type of breast cancer, and the treatment regime has already become the new standard of care for these patients."
NIAGARA Study: Durvalumab in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Professor Thomas Powles presented findings from the phase three NIAGARA study, which spanned 22 countries and included over 1,000 patients. The trial revealed that combining the immunotherapy drug durvalumab with chemotherapy improves survival in individuals with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
"Treating aggressive bladder cancer before it spreads is perhaps our best chance of a cure," Professor Powles stated. "In NIAGARA, we show for the first time that the addition of immune therapy to chemotherapy increases this cure rate. This is a major step forward for these patients."
Both Professor Schmid and Professor Powles lead teams at Queen Mary's Barts Cancer Institute and Barts NHS Health Trust, forming the Barts Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC), a leading cancer trial center in the UK and a recognized immunotherapy research hub.
