For a second consecutive year, members of the oncology community recently descended on Spain to hear the practice-changing results and latest advances in clinical cancer research presented at the annual ESMO Congress. As in Madrid last year, this year’s meeting in Barcelona was attended in person or online by more than 30,000 delegates, from 149 countries.

Multiple phase III trials featured in the top-billing Presidential Sessions emphasized continuing efforts to expand the benefits of immunotherapy to patients with resectable early stage tumours or unresectable locally advanced cancers by integrating ICIs with standard-of-care chemotherapy and local treatments. An update from KEYNOTE-522 confirmed that the improved pathological response rates and event-free survival (EFS) previously reported with the addition of perioperative pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for stage II–III triple-negative breast cancer translated into an OS benefit (86.6% versus 81.7% at 60 months; HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50–0.87; P = 0.002). Similarly, adding perioperative durvalumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy improved both EFS and OS in cisplatin-eligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the NIAGARA trial (as covered in a dedicated article in the previous issue of this journal). In the ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047/KEYNOTE-A18 trial involving patients with locally advanced cervical cancer, the addition of concurrent and maintenance pembrolizumab to chemoradiotherapy improved OS (82.6% versus 74.8% at 3 years; HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50–0.90; P = 0.004). In the LEAP-012 trial involving patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, the combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib with transarterial chemoembolization significantly improved PFS (median 14.6 versus 10.0 months; HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51–0.84; P = 0.0002), with an early trend towards improved OS (HR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.57–1.11; P = 0.087). In addition, in POD1UM-303/InterAACT 2, patients with previously untreated locally recurrent or metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma derived a significant PFS benefit from the addition of retifanlimab to chemotherapy (median 9.3 versus 7.4 months; HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.47–0.84; P = 0.0006), and immature data indicate a strong trend towards improved OS despite crossover being permitted (median 29.2 versus 23.0 months; HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.49–1.01; P = 0.027).

肿瘤学界成员最近连续第二年来到西班牙，听取了在年度 ESMO 年会上介绍的改变实践的结果和临床癌症研究的最新进展。与去年在马德里举行的会议一样，今年的巴塞罗那会议有来自 149 个国家的 30,000 多名代表亲自或在线参加。

在最受关注的总统会议上，多项 III 期试验强调通过将 ICI 与标准护理化疗和局部治疗相结合，继续努力将免疫疗法的益处扩大到可切除的早期肿瘤或不可切除的局部晚期癌症患者。KEYNOTE-522 的更新证实，先前报道的在 II-III 期三阴性乳腺癌的新辅助化疗中加入 pembrolizumab 的病理反应率和无事件生存期 （EFS） 的改善转化为 OS 获益（60 个月时为 86.6% 对 81.7%;HR 0.66,95% CI 0.50-0.87;P = 0.002）。同样，在 NIAGARA 试验中，在新辅助化疗中加入围手术期 durvalumab 可改善符合顺铂条件的肌层浸润性膀胱癌患者的 EFS 和 OS（如本期刊上一期的专门文章所述）。在涉及局部晚期宫颈癌患者的 ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047/KEYNOTE-A18 试验中，在放化疗中加入同时和维持帕博利珠单抗改善了 OS（82.6% 对 3 年时 74.8%;HR 0.67,95% CI 0.50–0.90;P = 0.004）。在涉及中期肝细胞癌患者的 LEAP-012 试验中，帕博利珠单抗和仑伐替尼联合经动脉化疗栓塞术显著改善了 PFS（中位 14.6 个月 vs 10.0 个月;HR 0.66,95% CI 0.51-0.84;P = 0.0002），早期有改善 OS 的趋势 （HR 0.80;95% CI，0.57-1.11;P = 0.087）。 此外，在 POD1UM-303/InterAACT 2 中，既往未经治疗的局部复发或转移性肛门鳞状细胞癌患者在化疗中加入 retifanlimab 后获得了显著的 PFS 获益（中位 9.3 个月 vs 7.4 个月;HR 0.63,95% CI 0.47-0.84;P = 0.0006），不成熟的数据表明，尽管允许交叉，但 OS 有改善的强烈趋势（中位数 29.2 个月对 23.0 个月;HR 0.70,95% CI 0.49–1.01;P = 0.027）。