ESMO 2026

MADRID, Spain—The antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan (aTrop-2-directed antibody carrying a topoisomerase inhibitor payload) achieved clinically meaningful intracranial responses among patients with resected inoperable or metastatic triple negative breast cancer with CNS involvement in the TROPION-Breast02 study discussed at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology. Peter Goodwin heard the details from the study’s first author: Rebecca Dent MD, Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist and Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the National Cancer Centre in Singapore.

MADRID, Spain— Personalized mRNA cancer vaccines for a range of tumor types are now seen as a realistic possibility thanks to mRNA technology already harnessed for treating melanoma in the phase III INTerpath-001 trial reported at the 2026 Annual Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology. Peter Goodwin heard the latest on the potential of cancer vaccines from Scientific Co-Chair of ESMO 2026, James Larkin PhD FRCP F Med Sci, Head of The Royal Marsden Skin Unit, and Joint Training Programme Director for Medical Oncology and Lead of the Cancer Immunotherapy Theme at The Royal Marsden’s Institute of Cancer Research NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, in London UK.

MADRID, Spain—Individualized vaccination as adjuvant therapy for patients with stage two to four resected melanoma has achieved positive and highly encouraging outcomes according to findings from the INTerpath-001: Phase 3 study reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2026 congress. Patients in the study were randomized to treatment with the mRNA-based neoantigen therapy intismeran autogene added to standard immune checkpoint inhibitor adjuvant therapy, and compared with a control arm of patients receiving checkpoint inhibition alone.