The 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), this year held in Chicago, Illinois from May 30 to June 2, showcased a series of pivotal clinical trials and therapeutic advances that are set to reshape cancer care. Spanning tumour types from breast to colorectal, the conference highlighted progress in targeted therapies, immuno-oncology, and supportive care strategies.
Breast cancer
- Camizestrant shows superiority in HR-positive advanced breast cancer
AstraZeneca’s selective oestrogen receptor degrader, camizestrant, reduced the risk of tumour progression or death by 56% in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive advanced breast cancer. The study, which used liquid biopsy to detect circulating tumour DNA, showed a median progression-free survival of 16 months compared with 9.2 months for the control arm. Patients also reported improved quality of life outcomes. - Trodelvy and Keytruda combination benefits triple-negative breast cancer
Gilead Sciences presented phase 3 data showing that the combination of sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) resulted in a 35% reduction in disease progression risk in patients with PD-L1-positive triple-negative breast cancer. The combination extended median progression-free survival to 11.2 months, versus 7.8 months for the Keytruda and chemotherapy arm.
Prostate cancer
- Triplet therapy improves survival in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer
A network meta-analysis confirmed that triplet therapy comprising androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), docetaxel, and darolutamide yields the most substantial improvement in overall survival for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), surpassing other established treatment combinations. - Talazoparib and enzalutamide combination improves overall survival
Final results from the phase 3 TALAPRO-2 trial demonstrated that adding the PARP inhibitor talazoparib to enzalutamide significantly prolonged overall survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), including those with and without homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene alterations.
Gastrointestinal cancers
- BREAKWATER trial redefines frontline therapy in BRAF V600E-mutant colorectal cancer
The BREAKWATER phase 3 trial showed that combining encorafenib and cetuximab with the mFOLFOX6 regimen improved objective response rates to 61% in patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer. This triplet regimen is expected to become a new standard of care for this high-risk subgroup. - Immunotherapy combination benefits MSI-high colorectal cancer
In the CheckMate-8HW trial, the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab led to significantly longer progression-free survival compared with nivolumab monotherapy in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer, confirming the value of dual checkpoint inhibition in this population.
Pancreatic cancer
- Circulating tumour DNA aids in real-time treatment monitoring
The ARTEMIS-PC study demonstrated that circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) analysis offers a rapid and reliable method for monitoring therapeutic response in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, enabling earlier adjustments to treatment plans. - Early promise for pan-RAS inhibitor in RAS-mutant pancreatic cancer
An investigational pan-RAS inhibitor, RMC-6236, showed preliminary activity and a manageable safety profile in early-phase trials involving patients with RAS-mutant pancreatic cancer. The findings raise hopes for targeting a previously undruggable oncogene in this aggressive malignancy.
Immunotherapy
- Survival in gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancers with CAR T-cell therapy
A first-in-human trial using CAR T-cell therapy in patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancers achieved a 40% increase in overall survival, marking a potential paradigm shift in the use of cellular therapies for solid tumours.
Lifestyle and supportive care
- Structured exercise reduces recurrence and mortality in colon cancer
An international randomised trial involving more than a thousand patients showed that structured exercise interventions following treatment for colon cancer reduced cancer recurrence by 28% and mortality by 37%. These results suggest physical activity may offer greater benefit than many adjuvant therapies, reinforcing the role of lifestyle modification in survivorship care.
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