ESMO 2026: 5 top studies

Our faculty at UT MD Anderson conduct studies at all stages of the research cycle. I’m especially excited about five studies our faculty members are presenting at the European Society For Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress this year that represent research at each stage of the process, from pilot studies to Phase 3 clinical trials.

Research breakthroughs happen because our teams recognize ways our cancer patients could be better served and conduct studies to meet those needs. Opportunities to share their findings with colleagues around the world help our researchers refine their approach and continue to advance their work.

1. Increasing genetic testing among at-risk individuals

Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome and Lynch syndrome are two genetic conditions that put someone at a higher risk of cancer. They run in families, so once someone is known to have one of the conditions, it is important to test their relatives to find out if they also have the same genetic condition so they can also be monitored closely. However, fewer than half of these relatives currently undergo genetic testing.

Maria Iniesta-Donate, M.D., Ph.D., is presenting the results of a pilot feasibility study called IGNITE-TX that is evaluating family-based recruitment and participation of close relatives in genetic testing.

The IGNITE-TX intervention includes videos and interactive activities in both English and Spanish, as well as a chatbot to respond to common questions. The digital components are supported by a family genetic navigator who proactively reaches out to at-risk relatives.

Relatives of people with one of the two conditions were recruited and randomized to be in one of four intervention groups:

1. Usual care (receiving a letter encouraging them to be tested),
2. No-cost genetic counseling and testing,
3. Participation in the IGNITE-TX intervention, or
4. Participation in IGNITE-TX plus no-cost genetic counseling and testing.

The trial met the primary feasibility endpoint, meaning the more proactive approach appears to be viable.

People in the first two groups completed genetic testing at a rate of 3.4% and 19.9%, respectively. This showed that providing the services at no cost did significantly help to increase the number of people completing genetic testing. However, the two groups in the IGNITE-TX program had significantly higher rates of genetic testing: 61.9% and 76.1%, respectively. This research demonstrates the feasibility of this kind of program to increase cascade genetic testing — that is, testing one biological relative, then testing the biological relatives of those testing positive, and so on — among family members of individuals with these genetic conditions.

2. Revaccinating patients with Lynch syndrome with Nous-209

Another study involving patients with Lynch syndrome is looking at whether cancer can be stopped at an early stage by vaccinating people with the condition with Nous-209, a neoantigen-based vaccine. An earlier part of the study had indicated that one dose of the vaccine was safe and generated high levels of immune reaction, and at ESMO 2026, Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D., is presenting the results of patients who were in an expansion cohort to receive a second vaccination one year after the first.

Patients who had received the first vaccine dose one year before were randomized to either receive the same vaccine again or to receive only a part of the full vaccine. Both groups showed enhanced T cell immunity and few serious side effects. Future studies will be needed to determine long-term effectiveness, but these results help to inform optimal dosing for a larger, Phase 2/3 trial. The data from this study also provides reassurance of the vaccine’s safety and hints at its ability to boost the immune system response to fight cancer cells.

3. Monitoring circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) during neoadjuvant treatment in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive disease, and for most early-stage patients, standard-of-care treatment involves several cycles of neoadjuvant systemic therapy with multiple agents, followed by breast surgery. However, some experts suspect that some patients with early triple-negative breast cancer may not need a complete regimen with multiple agents and cycles of neoadjuvant systemic therapy. To identify the best approach and personalize treatment, it would be helpful to determine each patient’s tumor molecular response to the neoadjuvant therapy. This could be done by measuring circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) dynamics while receiving neoadjuvant systemic therapy.

Pre-interim results from a study called B-STRONGER-I, presented at ESMO by Carlos Barcenas, M.D., indicate that an ultrasensitive, whole-genome-based tumor-informed assay detected ctDNA at baseline in 96% of patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer. After two to three cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, the assay showed ctDNA clearance rates of about 82%, which indicates that the treatment causes a deep molecular response.

The results also showed that all patients with stage 1 achieved early molecular clearance, while about half of patients with stage 3 disease still had detectable ctDNA after two to three cycles of treatment, and early ctDNA clearance was associated with tumor response at the time of breast surgery. This data is intriguing, and follow-up studies are being developed to examine how to tailor treatments around ctDNA clearance.

4. Studying an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer

Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D., will present data from a Phase 1/2a, first-in-human trial of a folate receptor α (FRα)-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in patients with ovarian cancer that is resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy. The primary objective of the study was safety and tolerability, while the secondary objective was preliminary efficacy and the exploratory objective was a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assessment.

Patients were split into groups based on their levels of FRα expression (high, low, and ultra-low). The patients in each group were given one of three different levels of the ADC to help determine the optimal dose. The results indicated that the drug has manageable side effects and promising efficacy across all dose levels and FRα expression subgroups. The next step will be a Phase 3 clinical trial to further examine the drug’s effectiveness and patients’ ctDNA levels.

5. Investigating a novel first-line approach for patients with KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Olomorasib, a potent, selective next-generation KRAS G12C inhibitor, has demonstrated promising efficacy and durability in patients with advanced KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in combination with chemo-immunotherapy, which is the current first-line, standard-of-care treatment.

At ESMO, Marcelo Negrao, M.D., will present updated results that indicate the combination continues to show durable efficacy and a manageable safety profile across patients with all PD-L1 levels, including in higher-risk patients who have tumor PD-L1 expression of 0-49%. These results support the ongoing registration of the Phase 3 Sunray-01 trial that will determine the efficacy and safety of the olomorasib and chemo-immunotherapy combination as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced KRAS G12C-mutant NSCLC.

Learn more about UT MD Anderson’s research at ESMO Congress 2026.