October 23–27, 2026 · Madrid · 2749 items
18 people · 18 posts · 3 abstracts
Heat now 7·Peak in the comparable set 7 (Oct 25 05:00)·Change over 24h in the comparable set –·Participants now 12
The strategy of using paclitaxel as a chemotherapy backbone with a targeted monoclonal antibody layered on top has been repeatedly validated in published phase 3 studies. In HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer, standard chemotherapy plus trastuzumab prolonged median time to disease progression compared with chemotherapy alone (7.4 vs. 4.6 months) [1], and for patients previously treated with adjuvant anthracycline the chemotherapy backbone was precisely paclitaxel; in recurrent or advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, adding the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab to paclitaxel-carboplatin raised median overall survival from 10.3 to 12.3 months (HR 0.79, P=0.003) and median PFS from 4.5 to 6.2 months [6]; a phase 3 study in metastatic pancreatic cancer (861 patients) also showed a survival improvement with nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine [3]. Together this evidence established the pattern that adding an anti-angiogenic or anti-HER2 antibody to a paclitaxel backbone can yield efficacy gains.
What was presented at ESMO26 is a randomized phase 2/3 trial (n=168, 2:1) of tovecimig (DLL4 × VEGF-A bispecific) plus paclitaxel versus paclitaxel alone in previously treated advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC), with BICR-assessed ORR as the primary endpoint. Results: ORR 17.1% vs. 5.3% (p=0.031); median PFS 4.7 vs. 2.6 months, HR 0.44 (p<0.0001); OS HR 1.05 (p=0.78), with 54% of the paclitaxel arm crossing over to tovecimig + paclitaxel. On safety, related grade ≥3 hypertension was 44%, and TEAEs leading to discontinuation were 40% vs. 15%. The discussion was delivered by Nilofer Azad, and the investigator list includes Anthony El-Khoueiry, Milind Javle and others. It should also be noted that a same-day summary post of upper GI oral abstracts mentioned several independent readouts, such as adjuvant GemCis versus capecitabine in BTC (median DFS 2.14 vs. 1.49 years, log-rank p=0.097), as well as EMERALD-3 and BGB-B2033, none directly related to this paclitaxel storyline.
Placed back into this context, the readout extends the logic of adding an anti-VEGF agent to paclitaxel from non-small-cell lung cancer [6] into second-line (2L) advanced BTC where options are limited, and it substitutes a bispecific molecule simultaneously targeting DLL4 and VEGF-A for a monoclonal antibody. On efficacy, both ORR and PFS met significance, and the direction of PFS extending from 2.6 to 4.7 months is consistent with the PFS improvement from 4.5 to 6.2 months after adding bevacizumab in [6]; however, unlike the OS benefit observed in [6], the OS HR here was 1.05, with the live post explicitly stating that the high crossover rate precluded a meaningful OS comparison.
The limitations must also be stated plainly: the phase 2/3 design with n=168 is limited in size, the 44% rate of related grade ≥3 hypertension and the 40% discontinuation rate indicate a non-trivial tolerability and management burden, and OS cannot be interpreted under crossover confounding—whether a survival benefit exists awaits further evidence.
FOLFIRI plus ramucirumab versus paclitaxel plus ramucirumab as second-line therapy for taxane-pretreated patients with advanced or metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma–Final results of the phase III IKFs602/AIO RAMIRIS Study
https://esmocongress.esmo.orgDESTINY-Breast11: MRI-assessed objective responses during neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) with trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) followed by paclitaxel + trastuzumab + pertuzumab (THP) vs dose-dense doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide followed by THP (
https://esmocongress.esmo.orgDurvalumab (D) plus carboplatin/paclitaxel (CP) followed by D with or without olaparib (O) in advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer (a/rEC): Interim overall survival (OS) and safety from the randomised phase 3 DUO-E/GOG-3041/ENGOT-EN10 stud
https://esmocongress.esmo.orgPaclitaxel +\-tovecimig: COMPANION-002 ph2/3
Signal in previously treated biliary tract cancer at #ESMO26:
OncoAlert 4Sight Abstracts to be Presented at #ESMO26 A Randomized Trial of Paclitaxel ± Tovecimig in Previously Treated Patients With Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer @DrElkhoueiry @JavleMilind 🔬 Randomized phase 2/3 (n=168, 2:1): tovecimig (DLL4 × VEGF-A bispecific) + paclitaxel vs paclitaxel in previously treated advanced BTC. Primary endpoint: BICR ORR. ➡️ ORR 17.1% vs 5.3% (p=0.031); median PFS 4.7 vs 2.6 mo, HR 0.44 (p<0.0001) ➡️ OS HR 1.05 (p=0.78); 54% crossed over to tovecimig + paclitaxel ➡️ Related grade ≥3 hypertension 44%; TEAEs leading to discontinuation 40% vs 15% ✅ Significant ORR and PFS advantage; OS analysis confounded by high crossover, precluding a meaningful comparison. 🎙️ Nilofer Azad 👥 Zishuo Hu · Ilyas Sahin · Renuka Iyer · Olivia Aranha · Howard Hochster · Priyadarshini Pathak · Scott Paulson · Aparna Kalyan · Chih-Yi Liao · Nguyen Tran · Robin Kelley · Gregory Heestand · David Cosgrove · Anthony El-Khoueiry · Mitesh Borad · Nashat Gabrail · Umair Majeed · Lingling Du · Suneel Kamath · Nathan Shumway · Rachna Shroff · Lipika Goyal · Minori Rosales · Milind Javle (4Sight Made from Abstracts publicly available at the ESMO website) @CathyEngMD, @BenWestphalen, @graokane, @NiuSanford, , @GillSharlene, @pashtoonkasi, @DrVilmaPBarcia, @Erman_Akkus, @GIMedOnc, @UOzkerim, @MarioBalsaMD, @p_ciracimd, @DraMartinezLago, @DaisukeKotani, @Aiims1742, @ARosen380, @realbowtiedoc, @KoheiShitara,
OncoAlert 4Sight Abstracts to be Presented at #ESMO26
OncoAlert 4Sight Abstracts to be Presented at #ESMO26 A Randomized Trial of Paclitaxel ± Tovecimig in Previously Treated Patients With Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer @DrElkhoueiry @JavleMilind 🔬 Randomized phase 2/3 (n=168, 2:1): tovecimig (DLL4 × VEGF-A bispecific) + paclitaxel vs paclitaxel in previously treated advanced BTC. Primary endpoint: BICR ORR. ➡️ ORR 17.1% vs 5.3% (p=0.031); median PFS 4.7 vs 2.6 mo, HR 0.44 (p<0.0001) ➡️ OS HR 1.05 (p=0.78); 54% crossed over to tovecimig + paclitaxel ➡️ Related grade ≥3 hypertension 44%; TEAEs leading to discontinuation 40% vs 15% ✅ Significant ORR and PFS advantage; OS analysis confounded by high crossover, precluding a meaningful comparison. 🎙️ Nilofer Azad 👥 Zishuo Hu · Ilyas Sahin · Renuka Iyer · Olivia Aranha · Howard Hochster · Priyadarshini Pathak · Scott Paulson · Aparna Kalyan · Chih-Yi Liao · Nguyen Tran · Robin Kelley · Gregory Heestand · David Cosgrove · Anthony El-Khoueiry · Mitesh Borad · Nashat Gabrail · Umair Majeed · Lingling Du · Suneel Kamath · Nathan Shumway · Rachna Shroff · Lipika Goyal · Minori Rosales · Milind Javle (4Sight Made from Abstracts publicly available at the ESMO website) @CathyEngMD, @BenWestphalen, @graokane, @NiuSanford, , @GillSharlene, @pashtoonkasi, @DrVilmaPBarcia, @Erman_Akkus, @GIMedOnc, @UOzkerim, @MarioBalsaMD, @p_ciracimd, @DraMartinezLago, @DaisukeKotani, @Aiims1742, @ARosen380, @realbowtiedoc, @KoheiShitara,
‼️ #ESMO26 simultaneous publication by Azad, et al.
#ScienceLink #Madrid2026 #ESMO26 #COMPANION002 #Tovecimig #Paclitaxel
#ESMO26 🧬 COMPANION-002 | Phase III
Excited to see our COMPANION-002 trial published in JCO and presented at #ESMO26!
‼️ #ESMO26 simultaneous publication by Azad, et al. COMPANION-002: A Randomized Phase 2/3 Trial of Tovecimig Plus Paclitaxel Versus Paclitaxel Alone as a Second-line Therapy in Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Read full publication: https://bit.ly/4i2ZdwI
🚀Day 2 #ESMO26 Upper GI oral abstracts, summary results
Adding intravenous VCN-01, a hyaluronidase-expressing oncolytic adenovirus, to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel improved outcomes as first-line therapy in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In the full analysis set, median overall survival was 10.8 versus 8.6 months (HR 0.57) and progression-free survival was 7.0 versus 4.6 months (HR 0.55, P = 0.011); response duration was 11.2 versus 5.4 months. The phase 3 evaluation is warranted.
Why it matters: First randomized evidence that an intravenous oncolytic virus plus chemotherapy extends survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer.
On September 29, 2026, the NMPA approved the breast cancer indication for paclitaxel oral solution (brand name Bairuisu), a product of 3SBio and Shanghai Haihe Pharmaceutical, for recurrent or metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. The drug, the first oral paclitaxel formulation worldwide, was previously approved in September 2024 as second-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer. Its use now extends from gastric to breast cancer, offering an oral option for a chemotherapy long given only by injection.
Why it matters: First oral paclitaxel gains a second approved indication, expanding home-based chemotherapy to breast cancer.