Durvalumab combination improved outcomes in muscle-invasive bladder cancer

In 695 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who could not or chose not to receive cisplatin, durvalumab and enfortumab vedotin plus surgery improved 24-month event-free survival to 63.5%, versus 45.1% with surgery alone. The combination also improved overall survival; adding tremelimumab did not.

What this means. A large, final-stage trial in bladder cancer. This is the kind of result regulators use when deciding whether to approve a treatment.

Breast cancer screening found fewer interval cancers, but the difference was not significant

Over 2 years, people screened with digital breast tomosynthesis plus synthesized two-dimensional mammography had fewer invasive interval breast cancers than those screened with standard digital mammography, but the difference was not statistically significant.

“Findings from a substudy of the phase III PROTEUS trial provided further support for the use of perioperative apalutamide and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) before and after surgery for patients with high-risk localized and locally advanced prostate cancer, according to results presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 ( Abstract LBA53 ).”

What this means. A large, final-stage trial in breast cancer. This is the kind of result regulators use when deciding whether to approve a treatment.

Two drug combinations offer second-line options for follicular lymphoma

Two phase III trials support adding epcoritamab or tafasitamab to lenalidomide and rituximab for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. About one in five patients has progression within 24 months of starting first treatment.

“A long first remission may support another course of chemoimmunotherapy, but progression within 24 months of starting front-line treatment pushes him toward novel therapies or clinical trials, he said at the NCCN 2026 Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies in New York City.”

What this means. A large, final-stage trial in lymphoma, a blood cancer. This is the kind of result regulators use when deciding whether to approve a treatment.

Toripalimab combination improved event-free survival in pancreatic cancer

In a phase II trial, 392 people with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic cancer received modified FOLFIRINOX with or without toripalimab. The combination extended the median time before an event to 11.1 months, compared with 9.6 months.

“The addition of PD-1 blockade to modified FOLFIRINOX significantly improved event-free survival without increasing treatment-related toxicity or surgical morbidity in patients with BRPC or LAPC.”

What this means. A mid-stage trial in pancreatic cancer. Good results at this stage usually still need a larger trial before approval.

Surgery had lower death rates than radiotherapy for early-stage lung cancer

In an analysis of 12,546 people with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer eligible for either treatment, researchers compared stereotactic radiotherapy with surgery. Estimated three-year death rates were 30.3% after radiotherapy and 21.6% after surgery.

“This emulated target trial found higher 3-year all-cause mortality after SABR versus surgery in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer suitable for either modality, supporting that surgical resection should remain the preferred option.”

What this means. A trial in lung cancer that split people into groups at random, the fairest kind of test.

Study links genetic changes to relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Researchers analyzed samples from 288 children in a trial of blinatumomab and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone. Genetic changes they identified accounted for 30% of first relapses.

“Together, our findings provide novel insights into the genomics of relapsed (came back after treatment) childhood B-ALL as well as in the context of blinatumomab therapy.”

What this means. A trial in children's cancer that split people into groups at random, the fairest kind of test.

Botensilimab and balstilimab met response goal in colon cancer trial

In a phase 2 trial, people with colon cancer received a short course of botensilimab and balstilimab before surgery. The treatment met the trial’s main goal, a major response in tumor tissue.

What this means. A mid-stage trial in bowel cancer. Good results at this stage usually still need a larger trial before approval.