The World's Largest Cancer Conference Is Back in Full Swing – ASCO 2023

The world's largest cancer conference is back in full swing this year. The American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) 2023 conference is still being streamed online/virtually, but most of the conference has returned to in-person attendance.

By mid-May, 40 thousand people had registered to attend in person, similar to the numbers before the pandemic.

The ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) Annual Meeting is a prestigious event that brings together oncology professionals from around the world and is generally held during the first week of June each year. The meeting provides a platform to discuss the latest cancer research, treatments, and medical advances. Since ASCO's first meeting was held in 1965, the organization is considered one of the world's oldest and most respected oncology meetings.

Looking Forward to a Busy ASCO Conference

The scientific program will also be very busy. Approximately 7 thousand scientific studies were submitted this year, representing 6-7% more abstracts than in previous years.

This annual meeting will run from Friday, June 2, through Tuesday, June 6, at its usual venue, the McCormick Place convention center in Chicago.

This year's meeting theme, chosen by ASCO President Eric P. Winer, MD, is "partnering with patients". "You will see a major effort to emphasize truly patient-centered care and patient involvement in all aspects of treatment and research," Gralow said.

The program will also include more than 200 sessions that complement the patient-centered theme.

As last year, one of the main topics at this year's meeting will be identifying overtreatment and reducing it as much as possible (see Let's All Avoid Overtreatment That Can Lead to Death in Cancer!)

The key question here is: "When we have very good long-term overall survival in certain situations, can we take a step back in the treatment we give?".

For example, a presentation will highlight the results of the phase 3 PROSPECT trial. This trial will examine the use of chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus radiation therapy for patients undergoing surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer . The researchers argue that some patients can avoid radiation therapy and will examine disease outcomes in those receiving this simplified treatment.

Another study will examine the results of the SHAPE trial. By comparing simple hysterectomy with radical hysterectomy in patients with low-risk, early-stage cervical cancer, this trial aims to determine whether less invasive surgery with fewer side effects can provide similar long-term cancer recurrence outcomes. Simple hysterectomy involves complete removal of the uterus and cervix, while radical hysterectomy also includes removal of tissues surrounding the uterus and certain lymph nodes.

The 6 Most Notable Studies

Interesting oncology research to be presented at the ASCO 2023 conference can be listed as follows:

• Adagrasib: A KRAS G12C inhibitor called adagrasib had shown activity in patients with KRAS G12C-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer (CRC), but its effects in other tumor types with this mutation were unknown. In the phase II KRYSTAL-1 study, adagrasib was tested in 64 patients with KRAS G12C-mutated tumors other than NSCLC and CRC. Responses were observed in 20 of 57 patients, with an objective response rate of 35.1%. Median duration of response was 5.3 months, and median progression-free survival was 7.4 months. Objective response rates in patients with pancreatic and biliary tract cancers were 33.3% and 41.7%, respectively. These results had previously been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology , and updated findings will be presented on June 3. (Abstract 425082)
• Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (T-DXd): In the DESTINY-CRC01 trial, the HER2-targeted treatment trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) showed promising antitumor activity compared with standard treatment in HER2-positive metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). In the global, randomized phase II DESTINY-CRC02 trial, the efficacy and safety of T-DXd in patients with HER2-positive mCRC were evaluated at two different doses (5.4mg/kg and 6.4mg/kg). The confirmed objective response rate was 37.8% in 82 patients receiving the lower dose and 27.5% in 40 patients receiving the higher dose. Although some patients experienced grade 3 (severe) side effects, the overall safety findings were consistent with the known profiles of T-DXd and favored the lower dose. The findings will be presented on June 4. (Abstract 3501)
• Immunochemotherapy: This phase II study tested a new treatment combination of pembrolizumab, cisplatin, and docetaxel in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (voice box). Following four treatment cycles, laryngeal biopsy showed no signs of disease in 78.3% of patients receiving this treatment. The treatment combination achieved disease control in all patients. (Abstract 6008)
• A New Immunotherapy Combination in Melanoma: Combining two immune checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and relatlimab, provides long-term benefits for patients with previously untreated advanced melanoma. According to two-year follow-up data, this combination not only improved median progression-free survival (10.2 months vs. 4.6 months), but also achieved a higher objective response rate (43.7% versus 33.7%). The findings will be presented on June 5. (Abstract 9502)
• BLU-945: In the phase I/II SYMPHONY study, patients with advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), most of whom had experienced disease progression, were evaluated for the safety and efficacy of BLU-945. Nearly half of patients (48%) receiving at least 400 mg daily showed a reduction in tumor size. Both monotherapy and combination treatments achieved a marked reduction in circulating tumor DNA; notably, lower doses of BLU-945 were needed when it was given as part of a combination. (Abstract 9011)
• Ponatinib Combined with Chemotherapy: Patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) generally receive BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (such as ponatinib and imatinib) with chemotherapy, but the disease progresses over time as resistance develops. According to the phase III PhALLCON trial, patients responded better to ponatinib and low-intensity chemotherapy than to imatinib and chemotherapy. Ponatinib treatment achieved a higher rate of minimal residual disease negativity than imatinib (34.4% for ponatinib versus 16.7% for imatinib). The trial enrolled 245 patients with a median age of 54, and both treatments were well tolerated. The study results were first presented on February 17, and updated results will be presented on June 3. (Abstract 398868)

The conference is also hosting a session in which oncologists from Ukraine will come together to discuss the effects of the Russia–Ukraine war.