Audio Journal of Oncology Podcast

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As the leading authoritative, peer-reviewed audio source of oncology clinical news for clinicians and healthcare professionals, the AJO Podcast regularly brings you exclusive interviews with the world's leading researchers and clinicians responsible for pushing out the boundaries of science and practice. Medicine, screening, radiotherapy, surgery, clinical trials, cancer care, epidemiology and prevention are covered impartially to give busy cancer professionals access to conversational spoken comments on the clinical implications of cancer developments in the real-world context, as practiced by cancer doctors and clinicians around the globe. The AJO Podcast originates from the Audio Journal of Oncology staffed by ex-BBC professional journalists, and mentored by world-leading cancer practitioners from bodies including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research UK, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, and Action Radiotherapy. Each podcast is produced to the highest standards of audio recording and journalism and is subject to editorial appraisal to maintain that content, balance and clinical relevance of news and comment are delivered in a manner that's easy and enjoyable for listening while travelling, taking exercise, working or just relaxing. Please contact Audio Medica with your comments and make your contribution to supporting a vibrant community of clinical cancer communicators!

  1. 1h ago

    Hassan Mohammed Abushukair MD; AACR 2026: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Myocarditis within One Month Predicts Lethal “Triple M Overlap Syndrome”

    Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Myocarditis within One Month Predicts Lethal “Triple M Overlap Syndrome” An interview with: Hassan Mohammed Abushukair MD, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Oklahoma University Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City SAN DIEGO, USA—A frequently fatal side effect of immune checkpoint inhibition known as the “Triple M Overlap Syndrome” can be predicted if myocarditis is noted in the first month of immunotherapy. That’s according to researchers who reported study findings at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. First author Hassan Abushukair MD, a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Oklahoma University Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City gave the details to Peter Goodwin. AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY; Hassan Mohammed Abushukair MD IN:  [GOODWIN]”We are at…….. OUT: ……I’m Peter Goodwin”  10:44secs STUDY  CONCLUSION: “This is the largest global dataset to characterize TMOS and MC fatality. Our data shows that TMOS represents a uniquely fatal phenotype of ICI-MC with a higher tendency in cancers with wider ICI use. Regarding MC fatality, we show MC timing to be a critical determinant of fatality, specifically within the first month of ICI start, demonstrating the need for refined screening and monitoring strategies within this time window” AACR 2026 Abstract 5212 Title: Clinical characterization of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced myocarditis and the triple M overlap syndrome Authors: Hassan Mohammed Abushukair1, Eman Alghamdi2, Woncheol Jung1, Mehak Laharwal3, Hafsa Gundroo4, Sagal Pannu5, Aik Choon Tan6, Pauline Funchain7, NohaAbdel-Wahab8, Elad Sharon9, Douglas B. Johnson10, Amin H. Nassar11, Fawaz Al-Harbi2, Tae Gyu Oh1, Abdul Rafeh Naqash5 1Oncology Science, University of Oklahoma Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 2Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 3Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 4Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 5University of Oklahoma Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 6Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 7Stanford Cancer Institute, Pao Alto, CA, 8The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 9Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 10Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, 11Yale University, New Haven, CT Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced myocarditis (MC) is one of the most fatal immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in cancer patients, often overlapping with myositis (MS) and myasthenia gravis (MG), forming the fulminant triad of Triple M Overlap Syndrome (TMOS). In this study, we report the largest clinical series of this rare fatal syndrome, aimed at delineating clinical features, fatality predictors, and temporal trends. Methods: We surveyed the WHO Vigibase pharmacovigilance database for cases of ICI- MC, MS, and MG in cancer cases through January 1, 2025. Seven groups emerged: MC alone, MS alone, MG alone, MC+MS, MC+MG, MS+MG, and TMOS. A machine learning (ML) model using the XGBoost algorithm was constructed using a subset (n = 858) of ICI- MC with complete data availability (age, sex, co-reactions, cancer/ICI type, and MC timing) for MC fatality prediction with an 80/20% data split for training and internal testing. An external public real-world dataset (n = 28) of ICI-MC was used for independent validation of our fatality ML prediction model. Results: Among a total of 4,950 ICI-MC/MS/MG cases, we identified 2,641 ICI-MC cases, of which 1,911 (72.4%) were MC alone and 730 (27.6%) were overlapping with MS and/or MG (MC+MS = 364, 13.8%; MC+MG = 159, 6%; TMOS = 207, 7.8%). TMOS occurred predominantly in melanoma (35.8%) and was more likely in males (64.7% vs 52.9%, p- value = 0.0049) treated with ICI dual therapy (25.1% vs 20.4%, p-value = 0.0030) compared with MC alone. Hepatitis was the most common irAE co-occurring in cases with TMOS (n = 30, 14.5%). MC-specific fatality rates were higher in TMOS (38%) compared to MC alone (21.2%), MC+MS (22.5%), or MC+MG (25.7%). MC alone had a later onset from ICI start than MC+MS, MC+MG, and TMOS (median time-to-MC: 60.8, 27, 27, and 26 days, respectively; p Conclusion: This is the largest global dataset to characterize TMOS and MC fatality. Our data shows that TMOS represents a uniquely fatal phenotype of ICI-MC with a higher tendency in cancers with wider ICI use. Regarding MC fatality, we show MC timing to be a critical determinant of fatality, specifically within the first month of ICI start, demonstrating the need for refined screening and monitoring strategies within this time window. PRESS RELEASE: Early Myocarditis Onset After Immunotherapy May Predict Treatment- related Fatality Co-occurrence of myocarditis with myositis and myasthenia gravis may also increase risk of death SAN DIEGO – Patients who developed myocarditis within the first month of receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy were more likely to die of myocarditis, and myocarditis-specific fatality was more common in patients who experienced co-occurring myositis and myasthenia gravis, according to results from a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have ushered in a new era of cancer immunotherapies, but on rare occasions, they can cause myocarditis, which can prove more immediately deadly than the cancers the drugs are meant to treat in some cases, explained Hassan M. Abushukair, MD, a postdoctoral researcher at the Oklahoma University Stephenson Cancer Center, who presented the study. When ICIs cause myocarditis, he added, they can often also cause myositis (autoimmune muscle inflammation) and myasthenia gravis (nerve-muscle communication disruption), which come together to form what researchers term “triple-M overlap syndrome,” or TMOS. “TMOS and the conditions that compose it can easily cause fatalities for the subset of ICI-treated patients who develop these side effects. But clinicians need to know who may be at the greatest risk for fatal outcomes, and we do not yet have that level of understanding,” said Abushukair. “Our analysis aimed to identify how we can more systematically approach risk stratification for patients who may develop fatal cardiac and autoimmune side effects from ICI treatment.” Abushukair and colleagues identified ICI-induced myocarditis, myositis, and myasthenia gravis in cancer cases within the World Health Organization (WHO) VigiBase pharmacovigilance databases. From this dataset, they formed seven groups of ICI side effects of concern: myocarditis alone; myositis alone; myasthenia gravis alone; myocarditis and myositis; myocarditis and myasthenia gravis; myositis and myasthenia gravis; and TMOS. Out of 4,950 cases of myocarditis, myositis, and myasthenia gravis identified within the dataset, the researchers identified 2,641 ICI-induced myocarditis cases. Of those instances of myocarditis, 1,911 (72%) were myocarditis alone, and 730 (27.6%) overlapped with myocarditis and/or myasthenia gravis. The most common overlap combination was myocarditis and myositis (364 cases), followed by TMOS (207 cases). An overlap of myocarditis and myasthenia gravis was the least common combination, with 159 cases. Following the start of ICI therapy, myocarditis had a significantly later median date of onset (60.8 days) than myocarditis and myositis (27 days); myocarditis and myasthenia gravis (27 days); and TMOS (26 days). After adjusting for age, ICI regimens, cancer type, and co-reactions, the researchers found that myocarditis occurring during the first month of ICI therapy start was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of myocarditis-specific fatality. Patients with ICI-induced myocarditis that began less than a month after starting treatment were 59% more likely to die from myocarditis than those whose myocarditis began one to three months after starting treatment; they were also 56% more likely to die from myocarditis than those whose ICI-induced myocarditis occurred three to 12 months after starting treatment. Myocarditis-specific fatality was highest in patients with TMOS (38%). Deaths attributable to myocarditis were less frequent in patients with myocarditis alone (21.2%); myocarditis and myositis (22.5%); and myocarditis and myasthenia gravis (25.7%). The team is also developing an algorithm to predict fatality from ICI-induced myocarditis by using machine learning based on 858 cases of ICI-induced myocarditis with complete data availability. The researchers’ tool achieved considerable accuracy in classifying fatal and nonfatal cases. “Our analysis indicates that the first month of a patient receiving ICI therapy is the crucial period for determining patients’ risk of myocarditis fatality. If a patent on ICIs develops myocarditis in those first 30 days, that’s a flashing warning light,” said Abushukair. “This gives clinicians an actionable timeframe for determining whom ICI therapy may be dangerous for.” Abushukair also spoke to the potential of his team’s algorithmic model, which he hopes, following additional training data and validation currently ongoing, might have use on the clinical side for patient monitoring and risk stratification for patients receiving ICI therapy. “I believe the model we’re developing is a great illustration of how even simple clinical data analysis can be used to address fatality in cancer treatment. Ultimately, we envision a helpful bedside tool to rule out high-risk fatality from TMOS and its constituent conditions,” he said. “With a greater understanding of the risks that these ICI side effects pose, clinicians and patients alike can be more attuned to which symptoms to be on the lookout for. Our hope is that this will create a safer paradigm for ICI treatment.” Limit

    11 min
  2. Eileen M O’Reilly MD; ASCO 2026: RAS G12 Targeting Drug Daraxonrasib Doubles Survival with Pancreas Cancer in Phase 3 RASolute 302 Study

    2d ago

    Eileen M O’Reilly MD; ASCO 2026: RAS G12 Targeting Drug Daraxonrasib Doubles Survival with Pancreas Cancer in Phase 3 RASolute 302 Study

    RAS G12 Targeting Drug Daraxonrasib Doubles Survival with Pancreas Cancer in Phase 3 RASolute 302 Study An interview with: Eileen M O’Reilly MD, Medical Oncologist, Professor of Medicine, Winthrop Rockefeller Chair in Medical Oncology and Leader of the Clinical and Translational Research Program in Pancreas Cancer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA CHICAGO, USA—A standing ovation was given at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting Plenary Session in response to news reported in a late-breaking abstract (by Brian M. Wolpin MD, MPH from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, Boston) of a doubling of median progression-free and overall survival among patients with pancreas cancers randomized to treatment with the multi-selective RAS inhibitor drug daraxonrasib compared with standard of care chemotherapy. The Audio Journal of Oncology heard the details from lead-author of the accompanying article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Eileen M O’Reilly MD, Medical Oncologist, Professor of Medicine, Winthrop Rockefeller Chair in Medical Oncology and Leader of the Clinical and Translational Research Program in Pancreas Cancer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY: Eileen M  O’Reilly MD IN:  [GOODWIN]”I am here at …. OUT:  ………..of Oncology, I’m Peter Goodwin  13:29secs ASCO 2026 Abstract LBA5 Daraxonrasib, a RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor vs chemotherapy in previously treated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC): Primary and final analysis from the phase 3 RASolute 302 study. ASCO Presenting author: Brian M Wolpin MD MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, Boston, USA Background: Available 2L therapies offer limited clinical benefit in mPDAC with reported mPFS of 3–4 mo and mOS of 6–7 mo. Aberrant RAS pathway activation is the key driver of PDAC, with oncogenic RAS mutations (mut) identified in >90% of cases, most commonly at codon G12. Daraxonrasib is an oral, RAS(ON) multi-selective, tri-complex inhibitor of the active, GTP-bound state of mutant and wild type RAS. Methods: RASolute 302 (NCT06625320) is a global, randomized, open-label, Ph 3 study in pts with 2L mPDAC and ECOG PS 0-1. Pts were randomized 1:1 to receive daraxonrasib 300 mg PO QD or investigator’s choice of SOC cytotoxic chemo. Dual primary endpoints were OS and PFS by BICR in the RAS G12 mutant (RAS G12) population. Key secondary endpoints included OS and PFS by BICR in the overall population, ORR by BICR in RAS G12 and overall populations. Results: 248 pts were randomized to daraxonrasib and 252 to chemo. Baseline characteristics were balanced between arms. At data cutoff (Feb 10, 2026; mFU: 8.5 mo), all primary and key secondary endpoints were met. Statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvements in OS and PFS were observed with daraxonrasib vs chemo in the RAS G12 and overall populations (Table). Gr ≥3 TRAEs occurred in 43.6% of pts receiving daraxonrasib vs 57.5% receiving chemo. The most common (≥10%) Gr ≥3 TRAEs were rash (13.7%) and stomatitis (12.0%) for daraxonrasib; neutrophil decrease (18.2%) and anemia (16.4%) for chemo. TRSAEs occurred in 10.8% of pts receiving daraxonrasib vs 18.7% receiving chemo. Discontinuation due to TRAEs occurred in 1.2% of pts for daraxonrasib vs 11.2% for chemo. Median/mean daraxonrasib dose intensity was 93.1%/84.7%. Conclusions: Daraxonrasib demonstrated unprecedented improvements in OS and PFS vs chemo in pts with 2L mPDAC with or without an identified tumor RAS mut. Daraxonrasib was generally well tolerated, with a manageable safety profile and with no new safety signals. Results support daraxonrasib as the new SOC for 2L mPDAC. Daraxonrasib was generally well tolerated, with a manageable safety profile and with no new safety signals. Results support daraxonrasib as the new SOC for 2L mPDAC. RAS G12 Overallb Daraxonrasib n=228 Chemo n=231 Daraxonrasib n=248 Chemo n=252   OS Median; mos (95% CI) 13.2 (10.0–NE) 6.6 (5.4–8.2) 13.2 (10.0–NE) 6.7 (5.8–8.0) HR (95% CI) P-value 0.40 (0.30-0.54)

    13 min
  3. Omar Nadeem MD 2026 AACR: BCMA-directed CAR T-cell Therapy Highly Effective In Patients with High-Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

    May 21

    Omar Nadeem MD 2026 AACR: BCMA-directed CAR T-cell Therapy Highly Effective In Patients with High-Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

    BCMA-directed CAR T-cell Therapy Highly Effective In Patients with High-Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma An interview with: Omar Nadeem MD, Medical Oncologist and Clinical Investigator, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Professor of Medicine Harvard University, Boston USA SAN DIEGO, USA—In new research a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has proved highly effective in treating a precursor of malignancy: smoldering multiple myeloma. In initial safety and efficacy findings ciltacabtagene autoleucel, or “cilta-cel”, induced rapid, deep and sustained responses, that were negative for minimal residual disease, in all patients with high-risk smoldering myeloma who received no induction therapy. At the American Association for Cancer Research 2026 Annual Meeting findings from the study were reported by Omar Nadeem MD from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Professor of Medicine Harvard University, Boston USA. Afterwards he discussed the findings with Audio Journal of Oncology reporter, Peter Goodwin: AUDIO J0URNAL OF ONCOLOGY: Omar Nadeem MD IN: [GOODWIN]”I’m right here…….. OUT:  ……I’m Peter Goodwin  for the Audio Journal of Oncology. 10:54 secs 2026 AACR Abstract Ciltacabtagene autoleucel in high-risk smoldering myeloma: Results from the CAR- PRISM trial AUTHORS: Nadeem1, D. Cordas dos Santos1, S. Nikiforow1, K. DeBraganca2, A. Bosch-Vilaseca1, E. O’Donnell1, A. Sperling1, Y. Liu1, F. Arters1, M. Marto1, A. Bergeron1, C. O’Donnell1, B. Kineavy1, E. Swenson1, K. McHugh1, Q. Berry1, H. Wei1, E. Durlacher1, E. Grimm1, R. Montes de Oca2, D. De wiest2, R. Redd1, L. Trippa1, C. McIntire3, E. Smith1, K. Anderson1, N. Munshi1, D. Madduri2, C. Tendler2, J. Schecter2, M. Wildgust2, J. Ritz1, I. Ghobrial1; INSTITUTIONS: 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 2Johnson and Johnson, Raritan, NJ, 3Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA Background: Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)- directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, is approved for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma after 1 line of therapy. In the CAR-PRISM trial, we hypothesized that early use of cilta-cel in patients with high-risk smoldering myeloma (HR-SMM) would yield even higher efficacy with the potential for cure. Here, we report the initial safety and efficacy results from the complete study cohort. Methods: In this single-center, phase 2 study, patients received a single infusion of cilta- cel at target doses of 0.3, 0.5, or >0.5×106 CAR+ T cells/kg following lymphodepleting chemotherapy. No induction or bridging therapy was administered. High-risk SMM was defined by the 20/2/20 model or bone marrow plasma cells >10% with additional adverse features. Patients with >40% infiltration were excluded. Primary endpoint was the incidence of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs); key secondary endpoints included overall response rate and minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity. Results: As of December 31, 2025, 20 patients (median age, 58 years; 6 women) received cilta-cel. No pre-specified DLTs were observed during the dose-escalation phase. The most common AEs were transient hematologic toxicities (neutropenia grade 4: 11/20, grade 3: 7/20; median duration 3 days). Cytokine release syndrome occurred in all patients (grade 1: 17/20, grade 2: 3/20). Non-ICANS neurologic toxicities (NINTs) occurred in seven patients, predominantly at the >0.5×106 dose level; five events were low grade and included facial palsy, tremor or paresthesia. Among two patients with movement and neurocognitive treatment-emergent AEs (MNTs); one patient’s work-up demonstrated CAR-T persistence and testing suggestive of a pre-existing synucleinopathy characterized by phosphorylated α-synuclein on skin biopsy and abnormal dopamine transporter imaging, whereas the other experienced grade 1 symptoms. Patients with NINTs showed significantly different longitudinal profiles, with higher absolute lymphocyte count (ALC, p

    11 min
  4. Ahmad A Tarhini MD PhD, AACR 2026: Molecular Glue Brings New Hope for Patients with BRAF or NRAS-Mutant Melanoma or Other RAS/RAF-driven Malignancies

    May 19

    Ahmad A Tarhini MD PhD, AACR 2026: Molecular Glue Brings New Hope for Patients with BRAF or NRAS-Mutant Melanoma or Other RAS/RAF-driven Malignancies

    Molecular Glue Brings New Hope for Patients with BRAF or NRAS-Mutant Melanoma or Other RAS/RAF-driven Malignancies An interview with: Ahmad A Tahini MD PhD, Senior Member, Professor, Director, Department of Cutaneous Oncology and Immunology, Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, USA. SAN DIEGO, USA—Patients who have BRAF or NRAS-mutant melanoma or other RAS/RAF-driven malignancies could soon have a new option if they become refractory to current regimens, according to research discussed at the American Association for Cancer Research 2026 Annual Meeting. The drug NST 628 is described as  “non-degrading, brain penetrant, pan RAF-MEK molecular glue” that was found to have “promising anti-tumor efficacy” with manageable toxicities, by first author Ahmad A Tahini MD PhD, Director of Cutaneous Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, USA.  After reporting his results at the AACR he gave the Audio Journal of Oncology more of the details: AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY: Ahmad A Tahini MD PhD IN:  [GOODWIN]”Peter Goodwin here, in San Diego…… OUT:  ………I’m Peter Goodwin” 8:25secs AACR ABSTRACT Preliminary results from a Phase 1a/b dose-escalation and expansion trial of the pan-RAF-MEK molecular glue NST-628 in patients (pts) with advanced or refractory RAF, KRAS, and NRAS-mutant solid tumors AUTHORS: Ahmad A. Tarhini1, Monica Chen2, Jia Liu3, Varun Monga4, Victoria Atkinson5, Sarina A. Piha-Paul6, Bartosz Chmielowski7, Benjamin Herzberg8, Charlotte Lemech9, Prachi Bhave10, Ganessan Kichenadasse11, Gerald Falchook12, Janice Mehnert13, Andrae Vandross14, Mohamad Salkeni15, Meredith McKean16, David Wages17, Ann Marie Kennedy17, Meagan B. Ryan17, John Clark17, Abdulaziz Nanah18, Michael J. Fossler18, Philip Komarnitsky17, Igor Puzanov19 INSTITUTIONS: 1H. Lee Moffit Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, 2Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 3The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia, 4UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, 5Princess Alexandra Hospital, Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation, University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Qld, Australia, 6M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 7UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 8Columbia University, New York, NY, 9Scientia Clinical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 10Cabrini Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia, 11Southern Oncology, Bedford Park, SA, Australia, 12Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Health ONE, Denver, CO, 13NYU Langone, New York, NY, 14Next Oncology Austin, Austin, TX, 15Next Oncology Virginia, Fairfax, VA, 16Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, TN, 17Nested Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, 18Cytel, Inc, Waltham, MA, 19Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY Background The RAS-MAPK pathway is altered in ~40% of all human cancers, yet its therapeutic inhibition has been limited by adaptive resistance, paradoxical activation, and poor CNS penetration. NST-628 is a potent non-degrading fully brain penetrant pan-RAF-MEK molecular glue that leads to inactive complex formation between MEK and all isoforms of RAF preventing activation of MEK by RAF resulting in broad anti-tumor activity preclinically. We report preliminary findings from the first-in-human Phase 1a/b study of NST-628 in pts with RAS-MAPK-altered cancers. Methods NST-628-001 is an open-label Phase 1a/b study evaluating the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of oral NST-628 in pts with refractory metastatic/advanced solid tumors with K/NRAS or RAF mutations. Dose escalation employed BOIN method, with accelerated titration. Longitudinal PK and PD were analyzed. Tumor assessments were performed with RECIST 1.1 for primary extracranial solid tumors, and with RANO 2.0 for CNS malignancies. Results As of 02/01/2026, NST-628 has been administered to 64 pts across 7 dose regimens in the dose-escalation phase and to 5 pts in the expansion phase. Most common tumors were melanoma (48%), pancreatic (14%) and colorectal (8%) cancer. Median age was 65 yrs (range 18-89); median number of prior lines of systemic therapy was 2 (range 1-8). Most common treatment related adverse events (TRAEs) included rash, diarrhea, CK elevations and retinopathy. Majority of TRAEs were Grade (G) 1-2. Most common ≥G3 TRAEs were CK elevations (N = 6) and diarrhea (N = 3). No G5 TRAEs. The PK of NST-628 was characterized by apparent clearance of 0.143 L/hr. Exposure was dose-proportional at doses dose-proportional at ≥ 0.4 mg. MTD was 0.4 mg QD and recommended dose for expansion (RDE) was 0.4 mg QD x7 followed by 0.3 mg QoD. At the RDE in response-evaluable BRAF Class II/III or NRAS mutant melanoma (N = 13) response rate (RR) was 38% (one response unconfirmed); across all doses (N = 28), RR was 29% (two responses unconfirmed at data cutoff). With median follow-up of 6.4 mo. median duration of response in melanoma was not reached. In addition to melanoma, responses were observed in ovarian, cervical, thymic and colorectal cancer. Baseline ctDNA confirmed driver mutations in 86% of pts and on treatment measurements correlate changes in ctDNA with radiographic response. Conclusions NST-628 showed a manageable safety profile in pts with advanced solid tumors and promising anti-tumor activity in previously treated BRAF Class II/III or NRAS-mutant melanoma and other RAS/RAF-driven malignancies. Beyond positioning NST-628 as a promising new therapy for pts with melanoma, the safety profile and anti-tumor activity support evaluation as monotherapy and in rational combinations in other patients with RAS-RAF-driven tumors. Ahmad A Tarhini MD PhD, AACR 2026, Audio J of Oncol. TEXT May 19, 2026

    8 min
  5. Shuguang Leng MBBS PhD, 2026 AACR: Wildfire Smoke Pollution Associated with Increased Lung, Colorectal, Breast, Bladder and Hematopoietic Cancer Rates

    May 15

    Shuguang Leng MBBS PhD, 2026 AACR: Wildfire Smoke Pollution Associated with Increased Lung, Colorectal, Breast, Bladder and Hematopoietic Cancer Rates

    Wildfire Smoke Pollution Associated with Increased Lung, Colorectal, Breast, Bladder and Hematopoietic Cancer Rates  An interview with: Shuguang Leng MBBS PhD, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque USA SAN DIEGO, USA—Air pollution from the rising numbers of wildfires in the USA was found to be associated with increasing risk for several common cancers. That’s according to a study that tracked wildfires and the air pollutants they generated over three decades in a group of 91,460 Americans. The research was reported at the American Association for Cancer Research 2026 Annual Meeting by senior author Shuguang Leng MBBS PhD who is an epidemiologist  and Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center in Albuquerque, USA.  After reporting his group’s data to the conference he discussed the findings with Audio Journal of Oncology correspondent, Peter Goodwin: AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY: Shuguang Leng MBBS PhD IN: [GOODWIN]”I am at the American Assocation ……… OUT:  ……Oncology, I’m Peter Goodwin. 10:30sec ABSTRACT TITLE: Wildfire smoke and cancer risk in the United States: Evidence from the PLCO Trial AUTHORS: Qizhen Wu1, Lisa Sinclair2, Vernon S. Pankratz1, Qing Lan3, Nathaniel Rothman3, Rena Jones3, Su Zhang2, Shuguang Leng1 INSTITUTIONS: 1Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 2Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 3Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD Background: Wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, reversing decades of progress in reducing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the United States. Although wildfire smoke (WFS) contains numerous carcinogens and toxicants, its association with cancer incidence remains unclear. Methods: We examined associations between WFS exposure and cancer incidence in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. The PLCO trial prospectively assessed cancer incidence from enrollment (1993-2001) through 2018. WFS exposure was quantified monthly at participants’ residences using near-ground WFS PM2.5, WFS black carbon (BC), and satellite-derived WFS plume-day counts from 2006 until first cancer diagnosis or last contact. Guided by evidence that three years of air- pollution exposure can influence the development of EGFR-positive lung adenocarcinoma, WFS exposure was modeled as a time-varying variable using 36-month moving averages preceding each month. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models stratified by study center, with proportional hazards assumptions verified. Restricted cubic splines were applied to evaluate dose-response relationships. Covariates included age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, smoking history, body mass index, and trial arm. Results: Among 91,460 PLCO participants with linked WFS exposure data, we identified incident cases of 1,758 lung, 800 colorectal, 1,739 breast, 242 ovarian, 896 bladder, and 1,696 hematopoietic cancers, and 1,127 melanoma during 2006-2018. Median (range) 36-month moving-averages were 0.37 (0.0083-1.72) μg/m3 for WFS PM2.5, 0.0083 (0.00- 0.21) μg/m3 for WFS BC, and 1.94 (0.097-7.18) days for monthly WFS plume-day counts. Restricted cubic splines indicated statistically significant associations (P

    11 min
  6. Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay MD, AACR 2026: AI “Pathomics Platform” Selects Immunotherapy, Predicts Outcome for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

    May 13

    Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay MD, AACR 2026: AI “Pathomics Platform” Selects Immunotherapy, Predicts Outcome for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

    AI “Pathomics Platform” Selects Immunotherapy, Predicts Outcome for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer  An interview with: Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay MD, Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA. SAN DIEGO, USA—Pathology slides hold the key to distinguishing precisely which patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer can respond well to immune checkpoint inhibition monotherapy from those who need a combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy, according to a research study discussed at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. In the study, immune signatures recognized by an artificial intelligence-driven “pathomics framework”, were able to assess risk scores to precisely inform survival prediction, according to first author of the study, Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay MD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, USA. She gave more of the details to our reporter Peter Goodwin: AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY: Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay MD IN: [GOODWIN] “I am here at the American ……… OUT:  ……I’m Peter Goodwin.  10:13” AACR 2026 Abstract: Path-IO: A deep learning pathomics framework for personalized immunotherapy selection and outcome prediction in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer Bandyopadhyay1, L. Hong1, M. Aldea2, S. Li3, L. Zullo2, F. R. Rojas4, M. B. Saad1, M. C. Marin1, M. Waqas1, J. Zhang1, E. Showkatian1, C. A. Arrechedera1, X. Han1, Y. Kitsel1, S. Ismail1, M. Aminu1, B. Zhu1, C. C. Wu1, B. W. Carter1, J. Chang1, Z. Liao1, M. R. Ghigna2, D. Soldato2, H. T. Tran1, X. Le1, T. Cascone1, B. Zhang1, H. A. Araujo1, M. Altan1, S. Heeke1, D. Jaffray1, D. L. Gibbons1, A. Vaporciyan1, J. Lee1, N. Kalhor1, C. Haymaker1, I. Wistuba5, J. V. Heymach1, Y. Lou3, N. Vokes1, L. M. Solis Soto1, J. Zhang1, J. Wu1; Institutions: 1UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 3Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 4Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 5Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved survival in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), yet only a subset of patients benefits, and biomarkers like PD-L1 remain limited. Here, we introduce a deep learning-based pathomics framework that utilizes routine H&E-stained slides to predict therapeutic response and survival outcomes in ICI-treated metastatic NSCLC. Methods: The study included 797 ICI-treated NSCLC patients from MD Anderson, with external validation in 280 patients from Mayo Clinic, Gustave Roussy, and the Phase III ICI-naïve LUSC Lung-MAP S1400I trial receiving nivolumab with or without ipilimumab. Path-IO (Pathology-Driven Immunotherapy Optimization) comprised of four major steps: (1) pathologist-verified tissue classifier segmented WSIs into eight compartments— Background, Bronchi, Immune, Lung, Necrosis, Stroma, Tumor, and Vessel—and was validated on TCGA and CPTAC dataset; (2) a survival prediction module generating patient-level risk scores in the MD Anderson cohort and validated across external datasets; (3) integration of Path-IO risk scores with radiomics and clinical features to improve prognostic accuracy; and (4) biological interpretability analyses correlating Path- IO risk immune contexture from multiplex immunofluorescence and transcriptomic signatures from NanoString profiling. Results: Path-IO effectively stratified patients into high and low-risk groups with significant survival differences. In the MD Anderson cohort, it achieved HR = 2.11 (p Conclusions: Path-IO demonstrates that deep learning models rooted in histopathologic architecture can generate interpretable and biologically informed survival predictions in NSCLC treated with ICIs. By integrating pathology, radiology, and clinical data, Path-IO provides complementary predictive value beyond established biomarkers such as PD-L1. PRESS RELEASE: A Deep Learning Pathomics Platform May Help Predict Response to Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer Patients SAN DIEGO – A biology-guided artificial intelligence model applied to routine pathology slides accurately predicted outcomes and response to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22. “Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, but only a subset of patients benefit from it, and predicting who will respond remains challenging,” said presenter Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center. “While routine pathology slides contain rich information about the tumor and its surrounding environment, the large amount of complex data can be difficult for human experts to fully quantify.” Pathomics is an emerging field that applies computational and machine learning methods for high- throughput analysis of digital pathology images to extract and analyze large-scale data related to cell and tissue architecture that can be linked to disease outcomes. Bandyopadhyay and colleagues developed a pathomics framework based on a deep learning survival prediction model called Pathology-driven Immunotherapy Optimization or Path-IO, which can analyze pathology slide images and study patterns across the tissue to help identify patients who are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy. “The core idea was to identify specific features, known as niches, within the tumor microenvironment to understand how tumors and the surrounding tissues are organized,” said Bandyopadhyay, adding that the model then combines this information with available imaging and clinical data to estimate whether a patient may have a higher or lower risk of poor outcomes from immunotherapy. The researchers tested the platform in a study that included 797 immune checkpoint inhibitor-treated NSCLC patients from UT MD Anderson, with external validation in 280 additional patients from Mayo Clinic, Gustave Roussy, and the phase III Lung-MAP S1400I trial in which immunotherapy-naïve patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (a subtype of NSCLC) were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Study results showed that the model could reliably stratify patients into higher and lower risk groups with significantly different outcomes. In the UT MD Anderson cohort, patients in the high‐risk group had more than double the risk of death or disease progression compared with patients in the low‐risk group. Comparable results were obtained in the validation datasets. Model performance was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index), which measures how well each biomarker distinguishes between patients with different outcomes, explained Bandyopadhyay. Notably, Path-IO consistently outperformed PD-L1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-validated standard-of-care biomarker for guiding immunotherapy use in NSCLC patients, across both discovery and test cohorts. “PD-L1 alone showed limited prognostic performance, with C-indices of 0.58 for overall survival (OS) and 0.57 for progression-free survival (PFS) in the discovery cohort, declining to 0.50 and 0.51, respectively, in the test cohort. In contrast, Path-IO demonstrated stronger discriminative ability, achieving C-indices of 0.69 for OS and 0.65 for PFS in the discovery cohort and 0.63 for OS and 0.58 for PFS in the test cohort.” Furthermore, combining pathology-based predictions with radiomics and clinical data further improved the model’s ability to distinguish patient outcomes, with the C-index increasing from 0.58 to 0.70 for PFS and from 0.63 to 0.75 for OS. “These observations highlight the value of integrating multiple sources of information to guide treatment decisions,” said Bandyopadhyay. Bandyopadhyay explained that, unlike prior pathomics studies, Path-IO is a biology-guided approach that grounds the predictions in tissue structures that are familiar to clinicians to reflect how pathologists naturally interpret tissue. The model’s predictions correlated with immune profiling and multiplex imaging data because higher risk scores assigned by the model corresponded to phenotypes that are less likely to be sensitive to immunotherapy. “This correlation provides biological evidence for why certain patients may have better or worse outcomes with immunotherapy,” added Bandyopadhyay. Bandyopadhyay emphasized that, since this approach was designed to be applied to routine pathology slides, if validated as a predictive tool, it could be incorporated into existing clinical workflows without significant expense compared to other emerging data-based technologies. “This study represents, to our knowledge, the first deep learning-based pathomics biomarker rigorously validated across international real-world cohorts and a phase III randomized clinical trial, directly addressing one of the most urgent unmet needs in precision oncology: reliable patient selection and stratification for immunotherapy,” said Bandyopadhyay. Limitations of the study, according to Bandyopadhyay, include that the study design is retrospective in nature and, although the results suggest that Path-IO may have predictive value in certain patient subgroups, further investigation is critically needed to go beyond the identification of patients who would benefit from immunotherapy and help predict what type of immunotherapy they can benefit from. “Future directions include prospective validation and the integration of paired, more comprehensive molecular profiling to enhance predictive performance and provide deeper molecular insights,” said Bandyopadhyay. Rukhmini Bandyopadhyay MD, AACR 2026 Audio Journal of Oncology Text, May 13, 2026

    10 min
  7. Jonathan Wesley Riess MD; 2026 AACR: Investigational KRAS(ON) Inhibitor Zoldonrasib Showed Effective and Durable Responses in Patients With Advanced G12D-mutated Lung Cancer

    May 6

    Jonathan Wesley Riess MD; 2026 AACR: Investigational KRAS(ON) Inhibitor Zoldonrasib Showed Effective and Durable Responses in Patients With Advanced G12D-mutated Lung Cancer

    Investigational KRAS(ON) Inhibitor Zoldonrasib Showed Effective and Durable Responses in Patients With Advanced G12D-mutated Lung Cancer An interview with: Jonathan Wesley Riess MD, Professor of Medicine, Director of Thoracic Oncology, Director of Early Phase Therapeutics, University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA SAN DIEGO, USA—In a study of patients whose KRAS G12D mutated non-small cell lung cancers had become refractory to prior therapies, treatment with the drug zoldonrasib, an oral KRAS (ON) G12D-selective tri-complex inhibitor, was found to be clinically active and was safe.  At the American Association for Cancer Research 2026 Annual Meeting Peter Goodwin heard from the lead study author Jonathan Wesley Riess MD, Professor of Medicine, Director of Thoracic Oncology and Director of Early Phase Therapeutics at the University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA: AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY:  Jonathan W Riess MD IN:  [GOODWIN]”I am here at……… OUT:  ……..I’m Peter Goodwin.  8:01 secs Abstract: “Preliminary safety and clinical activity of zoldonrasib (RMC-9805), an oral, RAS(ON) G12D-selective, tri-complex inhibitor in patients with previously treated KRAS G12D non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)” Authors: Riess1, E. B. Haura2, R. Yaeger3, M. Johnson4, J. Luo5, A. R. Parikh6, D. Orr7, S. R. Punekar8, K. Papadopoulos9, J. H. Strickler10, J. Powderly11, J. S. Wang12, P. LoRusso13, A. Spira14, M. Filippou-Frye15, H. Patel15, S. Lally15, M. Yang15, D. S. Hong16, K. C. Arbour3; Institutions: 1UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA, 2H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, 3Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Author Block: New York, NY, 4SCRI Oncology Partners, Nashville, TN, 5Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 6Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 7SCRI Oncology Partners, Dallas, TX, 8NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York, NY, 9South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START), San Antonio, TX, 10Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC, 11Carolina BioOncology Institute and BioCytics Human Applications Lab, Huntersville, MN, 12Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Sarasota, FL, 13Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 14NEXT Oncology Virginia, Virginia Cancer Specialists Research Institute, Fairfax,  Abstract Body: VA, 15Revolution Medicines, Inc., Redwood City, CA, 16The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, Houston, TX Background: Patients (pts) with previously treated advanced NSCLC have a high unmet medical need, with a median reported overall survival (OS) of

    8 min
  8. Marija Balic MD PhD, AACR 2026: Whole Exome Sequencing of ctDNA Informs Post-Neoadjuvant Therapy Options for Patients with Triple Negative Early Breast Cancer

    Apr 30

    Marija Balic MD PhD, AACR 2026: Whole Exome Sequencing of ctDNA Informs Post-Neoadjuvant Therapy Options for Patients with Triple Negative Early Breast Cancer

    Whole Exome Sequencing of ctDNA Informs Post-Neoadjuvant Therapy Options for Patients with Triple Negative Early Breast Cancer An interview with: Marija Balic MD PhD, Chief of Medical Breast Oncology, NSABP Foundation, Inc.; UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA SAN DIEGO, USA—In patients with triple negative breast cancer whole exome testing for ctDNA positivity after neoadjuvant therapy (before surgery) was found to be highly predictive of early relapse. This was in a study from Pittsburgh in the USA, reported to the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. First author Marija Balic MD PhD, Chief of Medical Breast Oncology at the NSABP Foundation, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in Pittsburgh, explained to our reporter Peter Goodwin how this could predict treatment resistance and greatly help the choice of further therapy: AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY: Marija Balic MD PhD IN: [GOODWIN] “I am here at the American  …. OUT:…..of Oncology, I’m Peter Goodwin  10:30 secs AACR 2026 ABSTRACT: CT013 – Whole-exome sequencing tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA detection after completion of neoadjuvant treatment predicts non-pCR and distant recurrence in patients with early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) — Results from a sub-study of the NSABP B-59/GBG-96-GeparDouze Trial Presenter/Authors Marija Balic1, Gong Tang2, Priya Rastogi1, Gregory Young3, Matthew Wallace3, Joshua Acosta4, Andreas Schneeweiss5, Christie J. Hilton6, Tanner J. Freeman7, Jiahe Li8, Carston Denkert9, Mattea Reinisch10, Melanie R. Palomares3, Bradley A. Arrick3, Matthew Petitt3, Sujatha Murali11, Jean-François Boileau12, Dominique Boudreau13, Peter J. Polewski14, Saima Hassan15, Jorge Garces16, Gina Costa17, Janine LoBello18, João Mouta19, Walter C. Darbonne20, Frederick L. Baehner3, Eleftherios P. Mamounas21, Norman Wolmark22, Sibylle Loible23, Charles E. Geyer24 1NSABP Foundation, Inc.; UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 2NRG Oncology Statistics and Data Management Center, and University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Pittsburgh, PA, 3Exact Sciences Corporation, Redwood City, CA, 4NSABP Foundation, Inc, and Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, 5National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT); Division Gynecologic Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelburg, Germany, 6NSABP Foundation, Inc., and Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 7NSABP Foundation, Inc., and The Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 8NSABP Foundation, Inc (Conducted) / Eli Lilly and Company (Current), Pittsburgh, PA, 9German Breast Group (GBG) Forschungs GmbH, Neu-Isenburg, Hessen, Germany; Institute of Pathology, Philipps-Universität Marburg and University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany, 10Interdisciplinary Breast Unit, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Essen, and Interdisciplinary Breast Center, University Medical Center Mannheim, Essen, Germany, 11Department of Oncology, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Marcos, CA,12Jewish General Hospital Segal Cancer Centre McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada, 13Hôpital du Saint-Sacrement, Québec, QC, Canada, 14Aurora Cancer Care, Advocate Aurora Health, Department of Surgical Oncology,, Milwaukee, WI, 15Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) Department of Surgical Oncology; Centre de Recherche de CHUM; Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, 16Exact Sciences, Redwood City, CA, 17Exact Sciences, La Jolla, CA, 18Exact Sciences, Phoenix, AZ, 19Roche Farmacêutica Química, Global Product Development Medical Affairs Oncology, Amadora, Portugal, 20US Medical Affairs Oncology, Genentech, Inc., Department of Translational Medicine-Oncology, South San Francisco, CA, 21AdventHealth Cancer Institute, Department of Surgical Oncology, Orlando, FL, 22NSABP, and The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Pittsburgh, PA, 23German Breast Group (GBG) Forschungs GmbH, Neu-Isenburg, and Goethe University Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, 24NSABP Foundation, and The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA Abstract PURPOSE: Presence of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is strongly associated with recurrence risk in early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). NSABP B-59/GBG-96-GeparDouze evaluated atezolizumab or placebo added to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and as adjuvant therapy in 1,550 patients with stage II/III TNBC. A prospective ctDNA sub-study collected serial blood during the first two years after randomization. In the recent 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, we presented the primary endpoint demonstrating that post-surgery ctDNA positivity was associated with an ~30-fold higher risk of distant recurrence. Here, post- NAT correlation with pCR and distant recurrence is presented. METHODS: Blood was collected at baseline, at completion of NAT prior to surgery, 3-6 weeks post-surgery, and 12- and 24-months after randomization. Primary tumors were analyzed via whole-exome sequencing for variant discovery. For ctDNA detection, libraries containing 15-60 ng of cell-free DNA from plasma samples were hybridized to patient-specific probes to enrich variant-containing regions, then sequenced. The association of post-NAT ctDNA status with pathological complete response, pCR (ypT0/is, ypN0) status and distant recurrence-free interval (dRFI) was determined. Additionally, baseline plasma ctDNA concentration was analyzed by T stage and nodal status RESULTS: At baseline, ctDNA was detected in 153 of 160 patients (96%). ctDNA was detected in 14 of 155 (9%) patients after completion of NAT. Positive ctDNA status after NAT was associated with residual invasive disease at surgery, and positive predictive value for non-pCR was 85.7%. Among the 97 patients with pCR after NAT, 95 (97.9%) were ctDNA-negative prior to surgery. Post-NAT pre-surgery ctDNA status was strongly associated with dRFI, with an HR 10.2 (3.8- 27.3; p

    11 min
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As the leading authoritative, peer-reviewed audio source of oncology clinical news for clinicians and healthcare professionals, the AJO Podcast regularly brings you exclusive interviews with the world's leading researchers and clinicians responsible for pushing out the boundaries of science and practice. Medicine, screening, radiotherapy, surgery, clinical trials, cancer care, epidemiology and prevention are covered impartially to give busy cancer professionals access to conversational spoken comments on the clinical implications of cancer developments in the real-world context, as practiced by cancer doctors and clinicians around the globe. The AJO Podcast originates from the Audio Journal of Oncology staffed by ex-BBC professional journalists, and mentored by world-leading cancer practitioners from bodies including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research UK, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, and Action Radiotherapy. Each podcast is produced to the highest standards of audio recording and journalism and is subject to editorial appraisal to maintain that content, balance and clinical relevance of news and comment are delivered in a manner that's easy and enjoyable for listening while travelling, taking exercise, working or just relaxing. Please contact Audio Medica with your comments and make your contribution to supporting a vibrant community of clinical cancer communicators!

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