Anna Polak-Andersen, Chief Executive Officer of AnRes Clinical, shared on LinkedIn:
“This year ESMO – European Society for Medical Oncology Congress somehow did not feel overwhelming for my brain despite approx. 40K attendees and loads of groundbreaking cancer research announcements.
Madrid venue was fantastic but it’s the meaningful interactions with industry colleagues and Investigators that made a difference.
Three study results piqued my interest:
- Median OS outcomes and encouraging anti-tumour activity were reported with petosemtamab plus pembrolizumab in first-line (1L) recurrent or metastatic PD-L1+ head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (r/m HNSCC), with responses observed across HPV-positive and HPV-negative disease, specifically OS of 28.2 months, associated with an ORR of 63% and median progression free survival (mPFS) of 9.0 months in efficacy-evaluable patients (n=43), including a CR rate of 19%.
- The addition of the bispecific T-cell engager immunotherapy, tarlatamab, to maintenance durvalumab significantly improved the primary endpoint of OS compared with durvalumab alone in patients with extensive-stage Small Cell Lung Cancer. In the DeLLphi-305 trial, the pre-specified interim analysis at a median follow-up of 15.9 months and 16.1 months for the two treatment arms revealed a median OS of 21.1 months for tarlatamab plus durvalumab versus 12.7 months for durvalumab alone. Significant improvements in median PFS (7.4 months versus 1.9 months) and ORR (26.4% versus 4.1%) were also observed with the combination.
- The dual EZH1/2 inhibitor epsametostat showed promising antitumour activity, with an ORR of 40.0% and median PFS of 13.1 months in 75 efficacy-evaluable patients with epithelioid sarcoma. Results presented by Dr Katarzyna Kozak from the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland are consistent with previously reported phase I data in an epithelioid sarcoma cohort. The news is especially encouraging as the market saw earlier this year the voluntary market withdrawal of tazemetostat (approved by the FDA for metastatic or locally advanced epithelioid sarcoma 6 years ago).
As always it was great to have a coffee with Dr. Victor Moreno at STProf. ART Madrid, which will be expanding their facilities very soon.
Big thanks for the hospitality to Trial Nation and the Danish Embassy where we discussed truly impressive Phase I Oncology Danish trial approval timelines of 7 days validation + 14 days for review and response, if no RFIs with Prof. Annette Raskov Kodahl and Prof. Kristoffer Rohrberg.
Truly thankful for the hospitality of SGS, OncoDaily and Optimapharm. I finally met with Dr. Pavle Vukojevic in person after working together in autoimmune diseases!”
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