The ESMO Congress 2026 is the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology. It stands as one of the world’s most influential oncology platforms for presenting pioneering cancer research. The event takes place from October 23 to 27, 2026, in Madrid, Spain, at the IFEMA MADRID convention center, utilizing a highly accessible hybrid (in-person and virtual) format.
Paolo Tarantino, Clinical Fellow at Dana-Farber, Associate Editor at ESMO Open, shared on X:
Yukinori Ozaki Presents MRD Findings Highlighting Recurrence Risk in High-Risk Breast Cancer
“Impressive MRD analysis presented by Yukinori Ozaki.
Pts with high-risk breast cancer who, at any point, turned MRD+, had clearly higher risk of recurrence compared to those constantly remaining MRD-. Clinical utility needs to be established prior to broad implementation.”
DB05: T-DXd Preserves Quality of Life and Improves Pain and Arm Symptoms in High-Risk Breast Cancer
“PROs from DB05 presented by Carlos Barrios.
Preserved QoL with T-DXd (vs T-DM1), with improvement in key domains (pain, arm symptoms) and worsening in social functioning.
Overall, they confirm the role of adjuvant T-DXd for patients with high-risk RD.”
Giredestrant Maintains Quality of Life While Improving Outcomes in Early Breast Cancer
“PROs from lidERA presented by Gustavo Werutsky.
Giredestrant appeared associated with comparable QoL vs standard ET. We don’t every day see a drug that improves adjuvant outcomes without adding side effect burden.”
GIM3 FATA: Long-Term Data Suggest Differences in DFS Between Exemestane and Non-Steroidal AIs
“Interesting signal emerging from the long-term analysis of GIM3 FATA, presented by Pietro De Placido:
exemestane was associated with a slightly worse 10-year DFS (but similar OS) compared with non-steroidal AIs. Important to look at the type of events.”
Fumikata Hara Highlights the Unanswered Question of Who Benefits Most from Ribociclib
“Great discussion by Fumikata Hara.
Benefit of ribo comparable to abema.
Can we identify who really benefits? Sadly, not yet. Best we can do is estimate risk of recurrence and utilize shared decision making based on risks, benefits and patient preferences.”
Iza-Bren Outperforms Chemotherapy in PFS, but Hematologic Toxicity Remains a Concern
“PANKU-Breast01: the HER3-EGFR bispecific TOPO1 ADC Iza-Bren improved PFS vs chemo in HR+/HER2- MBC (OS immature).
High rate of hematologic toxicity, with
- ~50% G3+ anemia
- neutropenia
- thrombocytopenia
- most patients requiring dose reductions.”
Six-Year Data Show Sustained iDFS Benefit and Favorable OS With Adjuvant Ribociclib
“Maintained iDFS benefit (Δ 5.3%) and favorable OS (Δ 2.1%) with adjuvant ribociclib after 6 years of follow up (all patients off ribo).
Efficacy comparable to abema (monarchE), with different toxicity profile and wider population (N+ and high-risk N0).”
Extended Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy Improves 15-Year Outcomes, Particularly in Node-Positive Breast Cancer
“15-year results from NSABP B42.
Extended AI after prior AI therapy led to a small yet significant advantage in 15y recurrence rate, mostly seen in node-positive disease (DRFS delta 4.4% N+, vs 1.6% N-).
Important data to inform pts when deciding whether to extend ET.”
TQB2102 Demonstrates Strong PFS Benefit in HER2-Low Metastatic Breast Cancer
“TQB2102 (biparatopic HER2 TOPO1 ADC) also passes the truck test in mostly HR+/HER2-low MBC.
PFS 16.4 vs 5.5 mo, HR 0.29, p<0.01.
Unclear whether the biparatopic design adds anything. The HER2 TOPO1 field is getting quite crowded with excellent agents.”
Trastuzumab Rezatecan Outperforms Chemotherapy in HORIZON-Breast06, Extending PFS to 16.6 Months
“HORIZON-Breast06: Trastuzumab rezatecan widely outperformed chemo in endocrine-refractory HR+ MBC (PFS 16.6 vs 6.8 months, HR 0.25, p=0<0.01).
Definitely passes the truck test. No significant OS, likely due to crossover of some patients to TOPO1 ADCs.”
TALENT Trial Shows Low pCR Rates With Neoadjuvant T-DXd in HR-Positive Early Breast Cancer
“TALENT: neoadjuvant T-DXd, +/- anastrozole or TC, led to a disappointing pCR rate of <10% across arms for HR+ eBC.
A hint of superior benefit was observed in patients with high HS-HER2 at baseline. Biomarkers clearly needed to unlock the potential of ADCs in the curative setting.”
ESMO Open Introduces Fast-Track Publishing for High-Impact Oncology Research
“ESMO Open is excited to offer a fast-track publishing path for high-impact research presented at major oncology conferences 6 terrific studies will be published over the next ESMO26 days Submit your science to the open access journal or ESMO – Eur. Oncology.”
Ranked N16 Worldwide in Breast Cancer Research: A 2026 ScholarGPS Recognition
“Nice surprise to see myself ranked N16 worldwide in breast cancer research in the 2026 ScholarGPS rankings (past 5 years)!
Grateful to the many mentors and collaborators who have made this possible.”
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