IOncology

On-site at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, the targeted therapy landscape for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is witnessing intense competition, with multiple frontline updates from cutting-edge studies reshaping the global dynamics. As a pioneering Chinese homegrown innovative drug making its way onto the world stage, how can ensartinib—Betta Pharmaceuticals' proprietary ALK inhibitor—demonstrate its core value amidst formidable international rivals? MediaMedic had the privilege of an exclusive on-site interview with Professor Li Mao, President of R&D and Chief Medical Officer at Betta Pharmaceuticals, a seasoned leader deeply engaged in precision oncology, to deconstruct ensartinib's distinctive pathway to differentiation and global breakthrough. ADD HASHTAGS

The 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, held in Chicago from May 29 to June 2, 2026, showcased several practice-changing advances in oncology. Among the highlights, Prof. Kohei Shitara from the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Japan, presented additional health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data from the landmark DESTINY-Gastric04 trial, further demonstrating the benefits of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in preserving patients' quality of life.

The landmark results of the DESTINY-Gastric04 (DG04) trial have firmly established trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) as the missing piece in second-line HER2-targeted treatment for gastric cancer. At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the DESTINY-Gastric03 (DG03) study was also unveiled, highlighting the promising potential of T-DXd in the first-line setting. As T-DXd moves from later-line therapy toward frontline treatment for HER2-positive gastric cancer, an increasing number of patients stand to benefit.

Following the clinical success and approval of disitamab vedotin (RC48) plus toripalimab in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, attention has shifted toward improving outcomes for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) in the perioperative setting, where substantial unmet clinical needs remain.

At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the treatment landscape for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continued to evolve, with major updates from landmark studies including CROWN, ALKOVE-1, and TRIDENT-1 reshaping global competition among ALK inhibitors.

the field of breast cancer, Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) has become a clinical challenge due to its high aggressiveness and lack of effective targets. Although the KEYNOTE-522 study established the standard status of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) combined with chemotherapy in perioperative TNBC, high-risk patients with lymph node-positive and T3/T4 stage disease still face a high risk of recurrence. Recently, Professor Alice Y. Ho from Duke University reported the latest results of the TBCRC-053 (P-RAD) study at an academic conference. This study explores the clinical value of preoperative radiotherapy as an "Immune Primer" combined with Pembrolizumab and chemotherapy in high-risk TNBC.

At the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Professor Anees B. Chagpar, a Professor of Surgery at the Yale School of Medicine, delivered an important special report titled "Does resection of cavity shave margins impact survival in breast cancer patients?". Based on the famous SHAVE and SHAVE2 randomized controlled trials, the report explored the advantages of Cavity Shave Margins (CSM) in breast-conserving surgery (BCS) regarding the reduction of positive margin rates and re-excision rates. For the first time, it disclosed detailed long-term impacts on patients' 5-year local recurrence (LR) rates, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS), providing key evidence-based support for treatment de-escalation and multi-modal synergy in the field of breast surgery.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has always been a challenge in clinical treatment due to its high heterogeneity, high risk of recurrence, and poor prognosis. For patients with first-line (1L) advanced TNBC who are not eligible for immune checkpoint inhibitors (PD-1/L1 inhibitors), the benefits of traditional single-agent chemotherapy are limited. The emergence of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) has brought new hope to this population. As the world's first approved ADC targeting Trop-2, Sacituzumab Govitecan (SG) has already demonstrated significant advantages in advanced TNBC patients who failed multiple prior lines of therapy (ASCENT study). At a recent academic conference, Professor Carlos H. Barrios from the PUCRS School of Medicine in Porto Alegre, Brazil, presented the latest biomarker subgroup analysis from the ASCENT-03 study. This analysis deeply explored the differences in efficacy between SG and chemotherapy in the first-line setting across different Trop-2 expression levels, BRCA mutation statuses, and HER2 expression statuses. This article summarizes its core academic content to provide clinical physicians with a basis for decision-making in precision therapy.

In June 2026, China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved iza-bren (brand name: Yizekang®; generic name: Loncastuximab Eglonatamab), a first-in-class EGFR×HER3 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) independently developed by Biokin Pharmaceutical. The approval is for the treatment of patients with relapsed or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) following prior therapy.

At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Professor Ciara Catherine O'Sullivan from Mayo Clinic, representing the I-SPY 2.2 collaborator group, announced the neoadjuvant treatment results of Rilvegostomig (an anti-PD-1/TIGIT bispecific antibody) combined with Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (T-DXd) for early-stage high-risk HER2-negative breast cancer. Based on innovative Response Predictive Subtypes (RPS), the study aims to improve the pathological complete response (pCR) rate through precise drug combinations and explore the possibility of reducing traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy.