Cancer experts present latest advances and emerging therapies

CHICAGO: Cancer specialists at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, which concluded on Tuesday in Chicago, presented a range of new findings on treatment and detection, including encouraging early data on weight-loss drugs, a major pancreatic cancer study and new approaches in breast and prostate cancer care.

More than 7,000 studies were presented during the summit. Among them, one pancreatic cancer trial drew particular attention because it addressed one of the deadliest cancers and was described as the first major advance against the disease in decades.

Pancreatic cancer study draws attention

The treatment was developed by US startup Revolution Medicines and uses a new molecule called daraxonrasib. According to the data presented, it performed markedly better than standard chemotherapy in patients with an aggressive but common form of pancreatic cancer. Half of the patients in the study lived for more than 13 months, which was twice the duration seen in the chemotherapy group.

Oncologist Monty Pal said the findings could represent a major change in care for advanced pancreatic cancer. "I think this represents, I would say, an unprecedented paradigm shift in how we're treating advanced pancreatic cancer," Pal said.

The study also raised hopes for broader applications because the targeted protein is involved in several kinds of cancer and had until recently resisted treatment efforts.

Early signals on GLP-1 drugs

Researchers also shared preliminary findings suggesting that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may have a role in cancer outcomes. These medicines, which mimic a gastrointestinal hormone, were first developed for diabetes and have also been linked to benefits in areas including cardiovascular health.

The researchers noted that many US patients using these drugs have obesity and diabetes, conditions that are associated with a higher risk of some cancers. On that basis, the team examined whether the medicines might help stop early-stage disease from advancing to metastatic cancer.

The results showed a 38 to 50 percent reduction in disease progression across lung, breast, colorectal and liver cancers among patients taking GLP-1 agonists compared with those receiving standard diabetes treatments. Study author Mark Orland said the findings were promising but needed to be confirmed in randomized clinical trials.

Studies examine less intensive treatment

Several presentations focused on reducing the intensity of treatment where possible. One trial reassessed axillary lymph node dissection, a surgery in which lymph nodes under the arm are removed in some breast cancer patients.

The trial found that avoiding the procedure, which is associated with substantial side effects, is safe for breast cancer patients whose disease has spread to only one or two lymph nodes. Julie Gralow, ASCO vice president, welcomed the results and said too many such procedures may currently be carried out unnecessarily, leading to long-term side effects.

"We are probably way over performing actually lymph node dissections, and causing long term side effects in our patients when it's unnecessary," he said.

Prostate cancer trial shows strong results

Researchers also highlighted an international trial in prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. The study focused on patients with genetic mutations, who are more likely to develop aggressive disease.

The trial tested enzalutamide, which blocks hormone signals that drive tumour growth, together with talazoparib, which disrupts DNA repair inside cancer cells. In patients carrying the BRCA2 mutation, the addition of talazoparib cut the risk of tumour progression or death by 65 percent.

French-Moroccan professor Karim Fizazi, who led the study, described the results in highly positive terms.

Questions remain over blood-based screening

Other studies examined the potential of liquid biopsies, particularly for detecting treatment resistance at an early stage. Researchers have also been exploring whether blood tests could help identify cancers that currently lack standard screening programmes.

One study assessed a blood test known as Galleri, which is designed to detect 50 cancers before symptoms emerge. Using data from more than 140,000 patients in the United Kingdom, the study produced some encouraging findings but did not show a reduction in late-stage diagnoses across 12 types of cancer.