At the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2024 annual meetingthe world’s largest cancer conference, doctors, scientists and researchers shared new findings on ways to tackle the disease.
The Chicago event, which was attended by approximately 44,000 healthcare professionals, included more than 200 sessions focused on this year’s theme, The Art and Science of Cancer Care: From Comfort to Cure. Here you will find an overview of the most important studies.
NHS launches world’s first cancer vaccine trial programme
After decades of development, cancer vaccines are now showing signs of efficacy and potential to help patients ward off the disease for good.
The world’s first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma halves the risk of patients dying or the disease coming back, according to study results that doctors described as “extremely impressive”.
Patients who received the vaccine after having stage 3 or 4 melanoma removed had a 49% lower risk of dying or developing the disease after three years, data presented at the conference showed.
A second study found that cancer vaccines can significantly improve the survival of breast cancer patients after surgery.
Meanwhile, as more vaccine trials get underway around the world, the NHS announced that thousands of patients in England will be fast-tracked into the trials as part of a world-first ‘matchmaking’ program called the Launch pad for the cancer vaccine.
Under the scheme, patients will get immediate access to clinical trials for vaccines that experts say represent a new era of cancer treatments.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma healed more effectively with treatment mix
Results of a phase 3 trial showed that a treatment combination of six therapies, BrECADD, was more effective and caused fewer side effects than the standard chemotherapy regimen, BEACOPP.
At four years, progression-free survival (PFS), the amount of time patients live without the disease growing or spreading, was 94.3% for BrECADD and 90.9% for BEACOPP.
Overall survival, which indicates how many patients are still alive after treatment, was 98.5% for BrECADD and 98.2% for BEACOPP. Most significant are the people in the BrECADD group had a 34% lower risk of disease progression than those in the BEACOPP group.
The most common side effects were abnormal blood cell counts. The researchers found that serious blood-related side effects occurred in 31% of people in the BreCADD group and 52% of people in the BEACOPP group.
Tests predict prostate cancer risk and breast cancer recurrence more accurately
Delegates were informed about two new tests intended to provide an early warning sign for two of the world’s most common cancers.
The first, for prostate cancer, involves a DNA sample collected with a simple spit test. Trial results suggest it is more accurate than standard tests. It works by looking for genetic signals in the saliva that are linked to prostate cancer.
The second, a blood test, predicts the risk of breast cancer returning three years before tumors appear on scans. The breakthrough could help more women beat the disease permanently.
AI could help people get cancer screenings
A study evaluating the use of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based patient navigation tool showed promise in helping patients in underserved communities schedule and receive cancer screenings if they had missed or skipped previous appointments.
The study involved 2,400 patients at a cancer center in the Bronx, New York, where most people came from ethnic minority communities and low-income households, and many were born outside the US. It used MyEleanor, a virtual patient navigation tool that initiated personalized AI-based conversations with patients.
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More than half of the patients (57%) used MyEleanor. Of those who committed, 58% accepted a handoff to a human patient navigator to reschedule a colonoscopy.
Researchers concluded that the tool could help reduce the colorectal cancer disparities experienced by people in these communities.
Drugs melt colon tumors, prevent lung cancer from spreading and stop the spread of breast cancer
Several drugs showed exciting results in the fight against cancer. An immunotherapy drug, pembrolizumab, that “melts away” tumors dramatically increases the chances of a cure for some colon cancers and may even replace the need for surgery, doctors said.
Giving the drug before surgery instead of chemotherapy led to a huge increase in the number of patients declared cancer-free, a clinical trial found.
In the meantime, more than half of the patients (60%) diagnosed with advanced forms of lung cancer and taking lorlatinib were still alive without progression of their disease five years later, data presented at the conference showed. This rate was 8% in patients treated with a standard drug, the lawsuit found.
Doctors called the study’s results “disproportionate” and said the drug halted the progression of lung cancer for longer than any other treatment in medical history.
A third study found that the drug Enhertu reduced the risk of cancer spreading in patients with HER2-low breast cancer by 38% compared to those who received chemotherapy.
Doctors also said weight-loss drugs offer a new weapon in the global fight against cancer, with “huge potential” to prevent new cases and shrink tumors after research found the jabs cut the risk of developing the disease by a fifth can reduce.
Cancer survivors who are trying to conceive can successfully conceive and give birth
Early-onset cancer was a major topic of discussion in Chicago. One study showed that the proportion of younger people developing the disease in Britain had risen by 24% in 20 years, a greater increase than in any other age group.
This trend has led to a renewed interest in fertility: maintaining the ability to become pregnant is often important for young people diagnosed with cancer. Certain treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, can temporarily or permanently affect a person’s fertility.
Researchers looked at long-term pregnancy and birth outcomes for breast cancer survivors who attempted pregnancy after treatment. They found most patients (73%) who tried to become pregnant after treatment became pregnant at least once.