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Oncology

Tumor biology and anticancer therapy: from mechanism papers to pivotal readouts and launches.

669 picksRelatedImmunotherapyTumor microenvironmentADCs & conjugates

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61–80 of 669
Oct 15Thu
  1. WeChat70

    Gilead Pays $1.875 Billion for Exclusive License to Vir's Three Dual-Masked Solid Tumor TCEs

    Vir Biotechnology has granted Gilead an exclusive license to develop and commercialize three novel PRO-XTEN dual-masked T cell engagers (TCEs) targeting selected solid tumor antigens, under a collaboration and license agreement announced October 14 in San Francisco. The deal is worth $1.875 billion. The companies will work to discover and design the three development candidates.

    Why it matters: Large licensing deal for solid tumor TCEs between Gilead and Vir Biotechnology.

  2. 中文产业新闻82

    DESTINY-Breast11 RCB Analysis Shows T-DXd-THP Cuts Residual Burden in High-Risk HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer

    In the phase 3 DESTINY-Breast11 trial in high-risk HER2-positive early breast cancer, neoadjuvant T-DXd followed by paclitaxel, trastuzumab and pertuzumab (T-DXd-THP) achieved a pCR rate of 67.3% versus 56.3% with dose-dense doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide followed by THP, and a prespecified RCB analysis presented at ESMO BC 2026 showed an RCB-0+I rate of 81.3% versus 69.1%. The RCB index distribution shifted toward lower residual burden (Q3/Q4 boundary 1.01 vs 1.38, P=0.0059), and among patients not reaching pCR the median RCB was 1.5 versus 1.7. The findings add pathologic-response detail beyond the binary pCR endpoint to guide postoperative adjuvant decisions in an anthracycline-free regimen.

    Why it matters: Phase 3 RCB data quantify how T-DXd-THP reduces residual disease beyond pCR in high-risk HER2-positive early breast cancer.

  3. WeChat65

    BioNTech BNT113 Plus Keytruda Misses PFS Endpoint in HPV16-Positive Head and Neck Cancer Trial

    BioNTech's BNT113 combined with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) failed to reach progression-free survival, a co-primary endpoint, in the phase II/III AHEAD-MERIT trial (NCT04534205) in HPV16-positive recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The independent data monitoring committee recommended continuing the study pending final analysis of the other co-primary endpoint, overall survival. The miss comes nine months after the vaccine drew high industry expectations.

    Why it matters: Phase II/III miss on PFS for a leading therapeutic HPV cancer vaccine combination.

  4. BioSpace58

    Verastem reports ‘robust’ response rate in pancreatic cancer subgroup where Rasonque struggled

    VS-7375, an oral selective KRAS G12D dual ON/OFF inhibitor, produced a 50% confirmed ORR in second-line metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at 900 mg daily, versus 24% for Rasonque in G12D patients in the Phase 3 RASolute 302 trial. In third- and fourth-line mPDAC the confirmed ORR was 36%, with 43% confirmed ORR in NSCLC at 600 mg and 33% unconfirmed ORR in third-line colorectal cancer combined with anti-EGFR therapy. Discontinuation due to adverse events was 2% across the 295-patient TARGET-D 101 trial, and Verastem will start a Phase 3 first-line mPDAC trial by year-end.

    Why it matters: Allele-specific KRAS G12D inhibition may outperform the newly approved pan-RAS agent in the subgroup where Rasonque underperforms.

  5. YouTube72

    Michael Hall Explains How TOR Controls Cell Growth, From Yeast Rapamycin Mutants to Human Disease

    Michael Hall explains that TOR, a highly conserved protein kinase first identified in 1991 through yeast mutants resistant to rapamycin, controls cell growth by size and mass rather than cell-cycle G1 progression. Rapamycin exerts toxicity as a complex with FKBP12 binding specific sites on TOR. TORC1 and TORC2 are conserved from yeast to humans, and TOR dysregulation links to cancer, cardiac hypertrophy, obesity and type 2 diabetes, with metformin partly acting through TOR inhibition.

    Why it matters: Clarifies the foundational TOR growth-control mechanism that underpins rapamycin and metformin biology relevant to disease research.

Oct 14Wed
  1. U.S. FDA91

    FDA Approves First Treatment for Certain People With BCG-Unresponsive Bladder Cancer

    FDA approved an expanded indication for Anktiva (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), given with BCG, for adults with BCG-unresponsive, high-grade papillary non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). It is the first approved treatment for this subtype.

    Why it matters: Source gives complete response rates and 12/24-month durability, and explains FDA extrapolation from CIS data to the high-grade papillary subtype.

  2. Nature Biotechnology82

    In vivo engineering of CAR natural killer cells for immunotherapy using ligand-directed lipid nanoparticles.

    Researchers developed NK cell-targeted ligand-directed lipid nanoparticles (NtLNPs), achieving about 80% NK cell transfection in mice and generating CAR NK cells in vivo. CD19- and CD3-targeted CAR NKs completely cleared circulating B cells in healthy mice and nearly all autoreactive T cells in an autoimmune hepatitis model, respectively, suggesting a possible advantage over CAR T in T cell-driven diseases.

    Why it matters: The paper describes an in vivo CAR NK generation method and directly compares it with CAR T in a T cell-driven autoimmune model, providing primary data for a route that avoids ex vivo manufacturing.

  3. WeChat77

    Resident Macrophages Feed Pancreatic Cancer Selenium Transporter to Evade Ferroptosis

    Resident tissue macrophages in pancreatic cancer supply a selenium transporter protein to tumor cells, protecting them from ferroptosis and supporting an invasive EMT state, a study from Bai Yong Shen and Florent Ginhoux at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Ruijin Hospital published in Cell shows. The work identifies RTM-Selenop as an axis of metabolic support in the tumor microenvironment and positions Mrc1 as a reliable marker distinguishing resident tissue macrophages from monocyte-derived macrophages, which have different transcriptional profiles.

    Why it matters: It reframes macrophages as direct metabolic donors to tumors, not just immune regulators.

  4. 顶刊论文（社媒热度）69

    A health-system-scale, episode-resolved multimodal atlas of cancer cachexia.

    Longitudinal clinicogenomic data from 52,236 patients with cancer profiled by MSK-IMPACT (2010-2024) show that cachectic weight loss episodes cluster near disease progression, worsen outcomes across nearly all cancer types, and carry a consistent serologic signature of lower albumin and hemoglobin with higher liver enzymes. Tumor genotypes including TP53 mutation were linked to more frequent episode onset. A model predicting impending cachectic weight loss in lung, colorectal and prostate cancer was validated in an external Dana-Farber cohort of 5,785 patients.

    Why it matters: It shows routine clinicogenomic data can identify cachexia drivers and predict weight loss risk at health-system scale.

  5. Nature62

    Talazoparib plus enzalutamide in high-volume metastatic hormone-naive prostate cancer: a randomized phase 2 trial

    Adding the PARP inhibitor talazoparib to enzalutamide improved prostate-specific antigen response in patients with high-volume metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in the randomized phase 2 ZZ-FIRST trial. Spatial transcriptomic analysis of paired biopsies showed that androgen receptor inhibition suppresses homologous recombination repair-related programs, and this suppression correlated with proliferation arrest rather than functional HRR deficiency.

    Why it matters: Links AR inhibition to HRR program suppression, giving a mechanistic basis for combining PARP inhibition with androgen receptor inhibitors.

  6. Medical Xpress65

    Targeted radioactive therapy may help delay spread of recurrent prostate cancer

    Adding two cycles of the PSMA-targeted radioligand 177Lu-PNT2002 before SBRT cut the risk of progression or needing additional hormone therapy by 62% versus SBRT alone in 92 men with oligorecurrent hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, followed for a median of 31.9 months. At 24 months, 33% of the combination group had no detectable disease versus 12% with SBRT alone, and fewer developed widespread disease or castration-resistant prostate cancer. The phase 2 LUNAR results suggest treating microscopic disease while delaying hormone therapy.

    Why it matters: Longer LUNAR follow-up shows a radioligand plus SBRT combination may reach undetectable disease and delay hormone therapy.

  7. Medical Xpress57

    WHO experts recommend HPV shot for girls aged 4–8

    WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) has recommended that countries consider routine HPV vaccination for girls as young as 4 if it boosts uptake, after confirming a single-dose schedule for girls aged 9 to 14 as the most efficient route to the 90% coverage target. Global HPV vaccine coverage stands at 33% across 165 introducing countries, while more than 95 million girls had been vaccinated by the end of 2025. SAGE also set priority groups for expanding single-dose vaccination: catch-up for women up to 25, then up to 30, routine vaccination of boys aged 9 to 14, and catch-up for males up to 20.

    Why it matters: SAGE guidance shapes national HPV vaccination policy as coverage remains far below the 90% target.

  8. Medical Xpress59

    Scientists identify clues to making immunotherapy more effective against glioblastoma

    Neoadjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab extended median survival to about 13.5 months versus roughly nine months with nivolumab alone in a phase 2 trial of 63 patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Five patients, about 15% of the combination group, became long-term survivors, with none on nivolumab alone. Tumor T-cell density independently predicted overall survival, and early pseudoprogression on MRI correlated with longer survival, pointing to biomarkers for patient selection.

    Why it matters: Dual checkpoint blockade produced long-term survivors in recurrent glioblastoma, a cancer largely resistant to immunotherapy.

  9. 顶刊论文（社媒热度）59

    Citron kinase activity controls alternative splicing events that drive prostate cancer growth.

    Citron (CIT) kinase drives prostate cancer growth by phosphorylating the RNA splicing regulator THRAP3, controlling its binding to pre-messenger RNA targets and producing transcripts that stimulate growth of prostate cancer cell lines, xenografts, patient-derived organoids, and PDX-derived organoids. An antisense oligonucleotide blocking THRAP3 recruitment to a CIT-dependent RNA binding site prevented production of these transcripts and inhibited growth of cell lines and PDX-derived organoids across prostate cancer stages and lineages, but not of benign cells. The work identifies CIT-mediated alternative splicing as a therapeutic strategy in treatment-resistant prostate cancer.

    Why it matters: It offers an indirect way to hit CIT kinase, for which no selective inhibitors exist, via a splicing antisense oligonucleotide.

  10. bioRxiv63

    Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate sensing by SOS1 and RAS sustains a self-reinforcing oncogenic metabolic-signaling circuit

    The glycolytic intermediate glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GA3P) directly binds SOS1 and RAS, enhancing their interaction and sustaining hyperactivated RAS signaling in RAS-mutant cancer cells. GA3P accumulates through MAZ-dependent transcriptional upregulation of GLUT6, an atypical class III glucose transporter. Suppressing MAZ or GLUT6 selectively inhibits RAS-mutant cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, and GLUT6 expression is elevated in clinical RAS-mutant human malignancies.

    Why it matters: Identifies GA3P-SOS1-RAS as a metabolic activation loop and MAZ-GLUT6 as a synthetic-lethal target in RAS-mutant cancers.

  11. WeChat89

    Ivonescimab Beats Pembrolizumab on Overall Survival in Frontline PD-L1-Positive Advanced Lung Cancer

    Ivonescimab, Akesu's bispecific antibody, beat pembrolizumab head-to-head as first-line monotherapy in PD-L1-positive advanced lung cancer, with median overall survival of 30.8 months versus 22.6 months. The risk of death fell 27 percent, with P value 0.009, a statistically significant result presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. Pembrolizumab, long the world's top-selling drug at 31.68 billion dollars a year, now faces a direct survival challenge.

    Why it matters: First head-to-head survival win over pembrolizumab in frontline PD-L1-positive advanced lung cancer.

  12. WeChat72

    BioNTech BNT113 Plus Pembrolizumab Misses PFS Endpoint in AHEAD-MERIT HPV16-Positive HNSCC Trial

    BNT113 plus pembrolizumab failed to significantly improve progression-free survival versus pembrolizumab alone in first-line HPV16-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to first topline results from the phase 2/3 AHEAD-MERIT trial (NCT04534205). PFS was a dual primary endpoint. BNT113 is an mRNA tumor immunotherapy encoding the HPV16 E6 and E7 proteins.

    Why it matters: First phase 3 failure for a BioNTech mRNA cancer vaccine candidate in a key indication.

  13. JAMA Network61

    Tucidinostat Plus R-CHOP for Large B-Cell Lymphoma

    Adding oral tucidinostat to first-line R-CHOP improved event-free survival in patients with MYC/BCL2 double-expressor diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In the randomized trial of 423 patients, the stratified hazard ratio for event-free survival was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.54-0.96; P = .02) versus R-CHOP alone. No secondary end point showed a statistically significant difference.

    Why it matters: It quantifies a first-line survival benefit of tucidinostat plus R-CHOP in double-expressor large B-cell lymphoma.

  15. YouTube70

    Thommen Team Decodes PD-1^high Exhausted T Cells in Human Cancers as Immunotherapy Biomarker

    A GLOBAL IMMUNOTALKS video lecture summarizes the Thommen team's series of studies on T cell immunity in human cancer. They propose that PD-1^high (PD-1^T) CD8 T cells are a distinct exhausted subpopulation that has lost classical effector secretion but specifically expresses high levels of CCL3, and that these cells are enriched in intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS).

    Why it matters: The lecture reviews evidence that PD-1^high exhausted CD8 T cells mark immunotherapy response, with IHC more sensitive than PD-L1 testing.

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