Dr Wang Highlights ESMO Lung Cancer Data Making an Impact

Bo Wang, MD, of Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center, said data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 could shift practice in small cell lung cancer and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In an interview, he brought up the findings he considered most exciting from the meeting.

Wang first noted the phase 3 trial DeLLphi-305 trial (NCT06211036) data. The trial compared tarlatamab-dlle (Imdelltra) plus durvalumab (Imfinzi) vs durvalumab alone in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer that had not progressed after first-line platinum, etoposide, and durvalumab, and led to a significant overall survival (OS) difference, with a median of 21.1 vs 12.7 months.

He then highlighted the phase 3 PERSEE trial (NCT04547504). In first-line advanced NSCLC with PD-L1 expression of 50% or higher, the trial compared pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus platinum-based chemotherapy vs pembrolizumab alone. Wang said the addition of platinum significantly improved long-term outcomes and could change practice in many regions. He expected it to have less impact in the United States, where clinicians already use a platinum doublet more often for patients with high PD-L1 expression. In his view, the data validate the US approach.

Among antibody-drug conjugates, Wang said sacituzumab tirumotecan showed strong results in PD-L1–negative disease. In the phase 3 OptiTROP-Lung06 trial (NCT06711900), it was combined with pembrolizumab as first-line treatment for PD-L1–negative advanced nonsquamous NSCLC, leading to a marked increase in progression-free survival (PFS). Studies in PD-L1 all-comers and PD-L1–positive disease are ongoing.

Wang also pointed to savolitinib plus osimertinib (Tagrisso) for patients who develop MET overexpression as a resistance mechanism during osimertinib therapy. The phase 3 SAFFRON trial (NCT05261399) enrolled patients with EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC that progressed on osimertinib and used platinum-pemetrexed as the comparator, leading to improved PFS and an early signal for OS benefit. Wang said the combination could salvage these patients without moving straight to cytotoxic therapy.

Finally, Wang discussed early phase 1 data presented from the ongoing TNG462-C102 study (NCT06922591). The study combined vopimetostat (TNG462), a PRMT5 inhibitor, with KRAS G12C inhibition in patients whose tumors carry both a KRAS G12C mutation and an MTAP deletion. The combination produced high response rates. Because the 2 alterations co-occur reasonably often in lung cancer, Wang said combination approaches may make sense. He added that safety data will be needed to judge long-term tolerability and effectiveness.