Aydah AlAwadhi, Division Chair of Hematology and Oncology Department at Sheikh Shakbout Medical City, shared on LinkedIn:
“World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) 2026: Key Highlights
ADAURA: Resected EGFRm NSCLC resected stage IB–IIIA treated with adjuvant osimertinib:
- 8-year OS: 79% vs 64%
- HR 0.52
A durable OS benefit
Key questions: optimal duration? MRD-guided risk stratification? How should we sequence treatment at recurrence?
APILLON: EGFR exon20ins NSCLC
1L amivantamab + CT vs CT:
- OS: 34.3 vs 27.9 months
- HR 0.87; P=0.307
- 76% of eligible patients crossed over to amivantamab
- Prespecified crossover-adjusted OS: HR 0.57 (95% CI 0.39–0.82)
Numerically longer OS, although the unadjusted difference was not significant.
REZILIENT 3: EGFR exon20ins NSCLC
1L zipalertinib + CT vs CT:
- PFS: 14.5 vs 8.5 months, HR 0.50
- ORR: 65.0% vs 40.3%
- Brain Mets: HR 0.38
- Interim OS: HR 0.72, with substantial crossover
Strong PFS benefit
ARROS-1: Phase I/II, ROS1+ NSCLC
Zidesamtinib in TKI-naïve patients:
- ORR: 94%
- Intracranial ORR: 100%
- Intracranial CR: 70%
Particularly relevant given the CNS tropism of ROS1+ disease.
DESTINY-Lung04: HER2-mutant NSCLC
1L T-DXd vs pembro + CT:
- PFS: 14.3 vs 8.3 months, HR 0.63
- ORR: 70.0% vs 44.5%
- OS: HR 1.15
- ILD/pneumonitis: 20.8%
OS interpretation is complicated by imbalanced subsequent HER2-directed therapy.
Take-home: T-DXd emerges as an important first-line option for advanced HER2-mutant NSCLC, with vigilant ILD recognition and monitoring essential.
EVOKE-03/KEYNOTE-D46: 1L PD-L1 ≥50% metastatic NSCLC
Sacituzumab govitecan + pembrolizumab vs pembrolizumab
- PFS: 11.8 vs 7.7 months, HR 0.81
- ORR: 55.6% vs 43.7%
- Interim OS: 21.5 vs 22.8 months, HR 1.07
Despite numerical improvements in PFS and ORR, the trial did not meet its primary PFS or OS endpoints.
TAISHAN-302: Relapsed SCLC
Tambotatug pelitecan (B7-H3 ADC) vs topotecan:
- OS: 13.3 vs 9.4 months, HR 0.46
- PFS: 7.4 vs 2.8 months, HR 0.29
- ORR: 59.1% vs 9.7%
Intracranial activity:
- PFS: 6.1 vs 4.2 months, HR 0.43
- cORR: 32.4% vs 2.9%
A potentially practice-changing second-line option.
ADC era in SCLC-and increasingly a crowded space.
ARTEMIS-008: Relapsed SCLC
Risvutatug rezetecan (B7-H3 ADC) vs topotecan:
- OS: 18.5 vs 10.3 months, HR 0.46
- PFS: 7.2 vs 3.0 months, HR 0.33
- ORR: 58.3% vs 12.6%
A striking OS/PFS benefit and another potential new option for relapsed SCLC.
SWOG S1827 MAVERICK: SCLC
MRI surveillance alone vs MRI + PCI:
- Cognitive failure-free survival: HR 0.60; P=0.001
- Preliminary OS: HR 0.90
- Grade 3–5 AEs: 0.8% vs 7.9%
An important study challenging routine PCI when high-quality MRI surveillance is available.
HARMONi-2: PD-L1 ≥1% advanced NSCLC
1L ivonescimab vs pembrolizumab:
- PFS: 11.1 vs 5.8 months, HR 0.51
- OS: 30.8 vs 22.6 months, HR 0.73
OS benefit was more pronounced in PD-L1 ≥50%; in PD-L1 1–49%, benefit was less clear, and pembrolizumab monotherapy is a less relevant comparator than chemo-IO.”
You can also read:
WCLC 2026 Opens in Seoul: Targeted Therapy Moves Earlier as SCLC Enters a New Therapeutic Era
