The 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) was characterized by a great number of presentations of novel and potentially practice-changing clinical trial data. The event was held from May the 30th till the 5th of June at the McCormick Place (Chicago), which is the largest convention center in North America.
One of the highlights of the Congress was the presentation by Roche of the results from a pre-specified exploratory analysis from the Phase III IMpower150 study. This data showed that the addition of Tecentriq to the combination of avastin and chemotherapy gave patients with chemotherapy-naïve non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) a striking survival benefit. After a disappointing high-profile phase III failure in ovarian cancer last year, lurbinectedin has become a therapeutic alternative for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a pathology with no second-line option for more than 20 years.
But not everything was related to lung cancer! An inhibitor of CDK4/6 from Novartis (Kisqali) in combination with hormone therapy extended the life of women with luminal metastatic breast cancer in the Phase III MONALEESA-7 trial. OS rates in the intent-to-treat population at 42 months were 70% in comparison to 46% for hormone therapy alone. Moreover, the addition of Kisqali to an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen reached 30% and 20.9% of the survival benefit of both combinations respectively.
Besides the highlights mentioned above, we also started to explore new cooperations with potentially interesting medical experts and different pharma/biotech companies while catching up with our existing partners. Most importantly, we will continue creating a robust network of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients worldwide. We look forward to meeting you at the next ASCO congress!
Author: Roldán Cortés
