The 2026 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) was held in Madrid, Spain, from October 23 to 27. As one of the world's most important annual meetings in clinical oncology, ESMO presents major research advances across multiple fields each year, including gynecologic oncology. PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy has significantly improved outcomes in patients with BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer. In clinical practice, however, eligibility for treatment is commonly determined using a binary classification based on the presence or absence of pathogenic BRCA mutations.

Ovarian cancer is often referred to as the "king of gynecologic cancers." Platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer (PROC) remains a major clinical challenge. Once platinum resistance develops, conventional single-agent chemotherapy offers low response rates and poor prognosis, leaving patients with limited treatment options. In recent years, the emergence of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and targeted small-molecule agents has begun to reshape the treatment landscape of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

From October 23 to 27, 2026, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress was held in Madrid, Spain. At this year's congress, numerous studies from China were selected for oral presentations, posters, and e-posters, demonstrating the growing presence of Chinese oncology research on the international stage. Although a wide range of treatment options is available for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), long-term survival data comparing different treatment strategies in real-world settings remain limited. A real-world study conducted by Professor Jing Feng's team at Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital was selected for e-poster presentation at this year's ESMO Congress. Addressing practical challenges in HCC diagnosis and treatment, the study used a large cohort with long-term follow-up to investigate key factors affecting patient survival, offering new insights into clinical risk stratification and individualized treatment.

For many years, trastuzumab combined with pertuzumab and a taxane (the THP regimen) has been the standard first-line treatment for HER2-positive advanced breast cancer. However, approximately half of patients experience disease progression within two years, highlighting the urgent need for more effective treatment options.

The 2026 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) was held in Madrid, Spain. The EPIC-TC study (NCT07235566), initiated by Professor Yu Wang's team at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, was selected for the Rapid Oral session and presented on October 23 as Abstract 4211RO. The study focuses on patients with EGFR-positive, unresectable anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) and poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), investigating the efficacy and safety of the EGFR-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) vicetumotug vedotin combined with the PD-1 inhibitor putrelizumab. Its selection for the Rapid Oral session reflects the congress's interest in research on these rare malignancies. However, the study remains a single-center, single-arm Phase II trial, and the data presented represent preliminary findings at a prespecified data cutoff.

Most types of thyroid cancer progress slowly and respond well to treatment. However, two subtypes are particularly aggressive: anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) and poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC). ATC is one of the most rapidly progressing thyroid malignancies, with a historical median overall survival (OS) of only approximately five months and a 1-year OS rate of around 20%. Although PDTC generally has a better prognosis than ATC, it is highly heterogeneous. Historically, the overall 5-year OS rate has been approximately 60%–70%; however, once the disease becomes locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic, patient outcomes deteriorate significantly. For a long time, effective treatment options for these patients have been extremely limited.

During the 2026 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Oncology Frontier conducted an on-site interview in Barcelona, Spain, with Professor Brian M. Slomovitz, Global Principal Investigator of the KEYNOTE-C93 study and Director of Gynecologic Oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, United States.

The highly anticipated 2026 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) was held in Madrid, Spain, from October 23 to 27, 2026. As one of the most influential academic meetings in global oncology, this year's congress brought together leading experts and scholars from around the world to present cutting-edge advances and explore the future of cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The 2026 ESMO Congress brought major advances to the forefront of oncology. Iza-bren (BL-B01D1/伦康依隆妥单抗), the world's first-in-class and first approved EGFR×HER3 bispecific antibody–drug conjugate (ADC), made a striking appearance with data from its pivotal Phase III PANKU-Breast01 study. The study presented its prespecified interim analysis results in full for the first time in a late-breaking abstract (LBA).