Jia Jenny Liu, Translational Lead of Early Phase Drug Development at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“As ASCOBT26 comes to a close, I have been reflecting on what made this meeting feel important.
ASCO Breakthrough is a smaller and more focused meeting than the ASCO Annual Meeting, but its ambition is not small. Held in Singapore with a strong Asia-Pacific focus, it brought together themes that feel highly relevant to the future of oncology in our region: better diagnostics, smarter therapeutics, implementation, and equity.
A few reflections stood out for me.
First, liquid biopsy is moving well beyond “ctDNA detected or not detected”. The discussions around cfDNA fragmentomics, multiomics, MRD, MCED and blood-based biomarkers highlighted how much more sophisticated the field is becoming. The challenge now is not just analytical sensitivity, but clinical actionability: when should we act, what should we change, and can we prove that acting earlier improves outcomes?
Second, precision oncology in APAC cannot simply be copied and pasted from Western datasets. Cancer epidemiology, risk factors, access pathways, biomarker prevalence, trial eligibility and health-system realities differ across the region. If we want precision medicine to be precise, it needs to be tested, interpreted and implemented in the populations we serve.
Third, ADCs, immunotherapy combinations and neoadjuvant strategies remain exciting, but the next phase of drug development needs to be smarter. More activity is not enough. We need to understand therapeutic index, target biology, payload sensitivity, linker processing, resistance mechanisms, toxicity prediction and biomarker-led dose optimisation.
Fourth, AI and technology were everywhere but the most interesting question is not whether AI can do impressive things. It is whether it can become a practical, trusted and equitable tool at the bedside: for tumour boards, trial matching, multimodal decision support and real-world implementation.
Finally, the meeting kept returning to equity. Early-onset cancers, metabolic health, frailty, supportive care, social needs and access gaps all remind us that “breakthrough” oncology is not only about discovery. It is also about delivery.
My main takeaway from ASCOBT26:
The future of oncology in APAC will not be shaped by new diagnostics and therapies alone. It will depend on whether we can integrate them thoughtfully, measure their value, and ensure patients can actually access them.
Grateful to American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Singapore Society of Oncology and the Medical Oncology Group of Australia for the opportunity to contribute as regional rep for MOGA and a virtual Featured Voice.”
Other articles featuring Jia Jenny Liu on OncoDaily.
