Another European Society for Medical Oncology- ESMO has come and gone and the MEDSIR team is feeling inspired from participating in a congress that brings together some of the greatest minds in cancer care. This year we had the pleasure of sharing results from our trials in a mini oral presentation as well as two posters at ESMO 2023 in Madrid, Spain.
Additionally, Oncoclínicas & Co., MEDSIR's strategic partner in Brazil and Latin America, participated in ESMO and showcased its research projects.
MEDSIR at ESMO23 recap
LUPER – a trial for relapsed small-cell lung cancer
This year we were delighted that the LUPER trial was selected for a mini oral presentation. Small-cell lung cancer has a poor prognosis is a high rate of recurrence, leaving an unmet need for second-line therapies. LUPER is a phase I/II multicenter, open-label clinical trial evaluating the combination of lurbinectedin and pembrolizumab in 28 patients with relapsed small-cell lung cancer.
During the mini oral, in front of 800 attendees, Dr. Antonio Calles shared the phase II results in which the LUPER trial met its primary endpoint with an overall response rate of 46.4%. Additionally, the combination had a manageable safety profile. The study also evaluated the efficacy in terms of platinum sensitivity and found that the median progression-free survival was 10 months for platinum sensitive patients compared to 3 months for platinum resistant patients.
Overall, the LUPER trial demonstrated that the combination of lurbinectedin and pembrolizumab is an effective second-line treatment for small-cell lung cancer patients who did not receive first-line immunotherapy and warrants further research into this combination.
Dr. Antonio Calles presenting LUPER study at ESMO
In this video interview, Dr, Antonio Calles underscored the significance of research in Lung Cancer within the framework of the LUPER clinical trial at the #ESMO23 congress.
As Principal Investigator of the study: Lurbinectedin (LUR) in combination with pembrolizumab (PBL) in relapsed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC): The phase I/II LUPER study.
PHERGain Substudy: Trop-2 expression in HER2[+] early breast cancer
During the biomarkers poster session, we were happy to have Dr. Maria Gion share the exciting results of substudy of the PHERGain trial. In this analysis, we analyzed the baseline expression levels of the protein Trop-2 in patients with HER2[+] early breast cancer to determine if there is a link between the expression levels of this protein and the pathological complete response to treatment.
While Trop-2 protein has been found to be elevated in many cancers, its role in HER2[+] breast cancer and whether it can predict outcomes remains unknown.
The study was able to determine that higher levels of Trop-2 protein prior treatment was associated with a lower pathological complete response rate. These results suggest that Trop-2 may be a predictive biomarker of treatment resistance and could be a target for future therapeutic combinations.
Dr. María Gion during the biomarker poster session at ESMO
We had the opportunity to interview Dr. María Gion, Principal Investigator of the study: Correlation between trophoblast cell-surface antigen-2 (Trop-2) expression and pathological complete response (pCR) in HER2-positive early breast cancer (EBC): A sub analysis of PHERGain trial emphasized the importance of biomarkers like Trop-2 in PHERGain's translational studies in the future.
PHERGain Substudy: Validation of a genomic test for predicting prognosis and survival in HER2[+] breast cancer patients
The second translation study that was shared during the biomarkers posters session by Dr. Antonio Llombart-Cussac was a study done in collaboration with REVEAL GENOMICS and aimed to help validate a tool, known as HER2DX, which provides both a pathological complete response (pCR) score (likelihood of response to the treatment) and a risk-score (likelihood of relapse).
In this validation study, 292 tumor samples from the PHERGain clinical trial were used to determine if HER2DX could accurately predict response. The results indicated that HER2DX pCR-score was significantly associated with pCRs achieved in PHERGain. The tool was also accurate in predicting risk, since the 12 patients who had an invasive disease-free survival event 3 years after surgery had HER2DX high-risk disease.
The results of the study further validate the use of HER2DX as a potential tool that could aid in the selection of appropriate treatment for patients with HER2[+] breast cancer and help move breast cancer care towards a more personalized medicine approach.
Dr. Antonio Llombart during the poster session at ESMO
Dr. Antonio Llombart, in this interview, he highlighted the importance of translational studies within the PHERGain trial during MEDSIR's ESMO 2023 congress.
As a Principal Investigator of the study: Validation of a genomic assay in early-stage HER2+ breast cancer (BC) treated with trastuzumab and pertuzumab (HP): A correlative analysis from PHERGain phase II trial, in collaboration with REVEAL GENOMICS, S.L.
Dr. Javier Cortés and Dr. Antonio Llombart presenting and chairing some talks
Both founders of MEDISR played a significant role during this ESMO 2023, participating in presentations and delivering talks as leading experts.
Dr. Javier Cortés was a special opening guest for the Industry Satellite Symposium: "AstraZeneca - Evolving Paradigms in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer: The Rise of Antibody-Drug Conjugates".
We were honored to had Dr. Antonio Llombart Cussac as a special guest for the Industry Satellite Symposium: 'Stemline. A Menarini Group Company - Current and upcoming treatment strategies after CDK4/6 inhibitors for patients with ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer'.
MEDSIR on Social Media, don't miss anything!
With so many great presentations and results shared during the conference, MEDSIR worked hard to make sure you don’t miss anything. Head over to our X and Linkedin page to see some of our highlights from #ESMO23 and share some of your favorites!
See you next year, at #ESMO24 in Barcelona, Spain!
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