CONGRESS NEWS

Highlights in respiratory oncology

ESMO 2019 featured the presentation of many interesting studies in the field of lung cancer. Much attention went to non-oncogene driven advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in which PD-(L)1 inhibitors are used in monotherapy, in combination with chemotherapy or in combination with CTLA-4 inhibitors. The results of the FLAURA, ALEX and ASCEND-7 trial demonstrated the most recent advances in oncogene-driven advanced stage NSCLC. Finally, the CASPIAN and IMpower 133 trial were the first studies to demonstrate an overall survival benefit with immunotherapy in the field of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Highlights in digestive oncology

This report will focus on some of the key studies in the field of digestive oncology, presented during the 2019 annual ESMO meeting. During the congress, many studies were presented from early phase I to large phase III trials. Different approaches to activate the immune system against tumours as well as PARP and CDK4/6 inhibitors were once more at the centre of interest for different types of cancer and settings.

Highlights in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

During the 2019 annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) the most recent advances in recurrent/metastatic (R/M) and locoregionally advanced (LA) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) as well as nasopharyngeal carcinoma were discussed. In R/M HNSCC the safety and efficacy of monalizumab alone and in combination with cetuximab was assessed and the ELAN trials tried to assess the management of elderly HNSCC patients. In LA HNSCC the efficacy of Debio 1143 in combination with chemoradiotherapy as well as the dominance of cisplatin over cetuximab in association with radiotherapy were studied. In nasopharyngeal carcinoma, results were presented on the benefit of radiotherapy to chemotherapy with cisplatin and fluorouracil. Finally, Bossi et al. demonstrated that in non-endemic countries, patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma have the same survival figures and prognostic factors as patients in endemic areas.

Highlights in urologic cancer

In recent years, innovations in renal, bladder and prostate cancer treatments have been introduced at a rapid pace. Every year, oncological societies had to update treatment guidelines according to new insights and results of large phase III trials. This article focuses on practice changing data from the 2019 ESMO congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Highlights in gynaecological cancers

After last year’s ESMO meeting in Munich, the recent ESMO Congress in Barcelona again proved to be a ‘grand cru’ in gynaecological cancer, with the confirmation of the role of maintenance therapy with PARP inhibitors in first-line therapy of advanced ovarian cancer, even beyond BRCA mutation. Additionally, recent progress in the management of endometrial and cervical cancer will be highlighted in this overview.

Highlights in melanoma

The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors highly impacted the treatment landscape of melanoma over the last decade. At ESMO 2019, several abstracts again proved the clinical potential of these agents in the treatment of melanoma, both in (neo)adjuvant as in the advanced setting. In addition to this, promising results were presented with talimogene laherparepvec in early and in metastatic melanoma. Finally, several abstracts also discussed combinations of targeted agents and immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma.

2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer

SUMMARY

From 7–10th of September, the 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) again proved to be the world’s largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. The meeting attracted more than 7,000 specialists from more than 100 countries. In this highlight report ten top abstracts presented at the meeting will be discussed. For a more complete coverage of the meeting we refer to the congress website: https://wclc2019.iaslc.org.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(7):309–13)