Breast, lung, and bladder cancer phase 3 trials led by Dana-Farber presented at ESMO Congress 2025

2025-10-13

(Press-News.org) BOSTON, October 12, 2025 – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers are leading four studies with important new findings in breast cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The studies will be presented both in-person and online from October 17 to October 21. A full list of Dana-Farber Presentations at ESMO 2025 is available here: Dana-Farber Presentations at ESMO 2025

Dana-Farber investigators will also present clinical trial results that report improved quality of life for metastatic breast cancer patients; new approaches, based on early investigations, to using blood tests to guide the treatment of kidney cancer; and new ways to analyze real-world data with artificial intelligence.

The ESMO Congress is one of the largest cancer research meetings, bringing together clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, journalists and healthcare industry representatives from all over the world. Dr. Toni Choueiri, director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber, serves as Scientific Co-Chair of the ESMO Congress.

Dana-Farber Highlights at ESMO 2025

Dr. Pasi A. Jänne, senior vice president for Translational Medicine at Dana-Farber, will present LBA77 - “FLAURA2: Exploratory overall survival analysis in patients with poorer prognostic factors treated with osimertinib +/- platinum-pemetrexed chemotherapy as first-line treatment for EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC,” in the Proffered paper session: NSCLC on Friday, October 17, at 10:56am ET (16:56 CEST).

Dr. Erica Mayer, director of Breast Cancer Clinical Research in the Division of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber, will present LBA16 – “Giredestrant, an oral selective estrogen receptor antagonist and degrader, + everolimus in patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer previously treated with a CDK4/6 inhibitor: Primary results of the Phase III evERA BC trial,” in the Proffered paper session 1: Breast cancer, metastatic on Saturday, October 18, at 4:15am ET (10:15 CEST).

Dr. Sara Tolaney, chief of the Division of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber, is senior author of LBA20 - “Primary Results from ASCENT-03: A randomized phase 3 study of sacituzumab govitecan vs chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated advanced triple-negative breast cancer who are unable to receive PD-(L)1 inhibitors,” in the Proffered paper session 2: Breast cancer, metastatic on Sunday, October 19, at 3:15am ET (9:15 CEST).

Dr. Catherine Wu, chief of the Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, will give a keynote lecture titled, “Therapeutic cancer vaccines: Clinical perspectives,” on Sunday, October 19, at 6:00am ET (12:00 CEST).

Dr. Joaquim Bellmunt, director of the Bladder Cancer Center at Dana-Farber, is co-senior author of LBA8 - “IMvigor011: A Phase 3 trial of circulating tumour DNA-guided adjuvant atezolizumab vs placebo in muscle-invasive bladder cancer,” in the Presidential Symposium 3 on Monday, October 20, at 10:30am ET (16:30 CEST).

Findings Point to Improved Quality of Life for Breast Cancer Patients

Patient reported data supports SERENA-6 treatment approach to optimize and improve outcomes for patients with advanced breast cancer

Dr. Erica Mayer will present patient-reported outcomes from the SERENA-6 trial. The SERENA-6 treatment approach evaluated switching to the oral SERD camizestrant from first-line aromatase inhibitor, with continuation of CDK4/6 inhibitor, at time of detection of an ESR1 mutation and ahead of clinical progression, in patients with hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. In previously reported data, the approach showed significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared to continued treatment with an aromatase inhibitor and CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Patient-reported outcomes were also collected during the trial at pre-specified time-points to assess quality of life, cancer-related symptoms, and physical functioning. Mayer will report findings that the SERENA-6 treatment approach significantly reduced the risk of deterioration of global health status/quality of life compared to staying on aromatase inhibitor and CDK4/6 inhibitor. Further, switching to camizestrant with continuation of CDK4/6 inhibitor consistently delayed time to deterioration in a spectrum of patient-reported cancer symptoms, as well as in daily patient functioning. Overall, these findings continue to support the SERENA-6 treatment approach for patients with hormone receptor positive HER2 negative advanced breast cancer.

Study Title: Patient-reported outcomes from the SERENA-6 trial of camizestrant + CDK4/6 inhibitor for emergent ESR1m during first-line (1L) endocrine-based therapy and ahead of disease progression in patients with HR+/HER2= advanced breast cancer (486MO) Mini Oral Session: Breast cancer, metastatic on Monday, October 20, at 4:25am ET (10:25 CEST). Early Research Supports Future Investigations in Kidney Cancer Treatment and Real-World Data Analyses of Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment

Dr. Wenxin (Vincent) Xu, a genitourinary oncologist at Dana-Farber, will present data suggesting that a blood test that measures levels of a biomarker called KIM-1 could help assess the burden of disease among patients with advanced kidney cancer, predict outcomes during first-line treatment, and potentially help guide treatment decisions. The findings are based on a retrospective analysis of data from the COSMIC-313 trial and can help to inform the design of future trials.

Study Title: Association of circulating kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) levels with clinical outcomes in advanced renal cell carcinoma: Retrospective analysis of COSMIC-313 (2594MO) Mini Oral Session 2: GU tumours, renal & urothelial on Sunday, October 19, at 2:35am ET (8:35 CEST). Dr. Eddy Saad, a postdoctoral fellow at Dana-Farber, will present an evaluation of approaches to generating synthetic real-world data based on a cohort of 19,164 patients with metastatic breast cancer. Synthetic real-world data is created using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to mimic patients in the real world. It could be used to evaluate treatments, uncover personalized treatment approaches, and protect patient privacy.

Study Title: AI-generated synthetic cohorts for accelerated clinical trial design and collaboration: Data from 19,000 Patients with metastatic breast cancer (3136O) Proffered Paper Session: AI & Digital Oncology on Monday, October 20, at 2:35am ET (17:20 CEST). About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement and advocacy. Dana-Farber is a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Dana-Farber is the only hospital nationwide with a top 3 U.S. News & World Report Best Cancer Hospital ranking in both adult and pediatric care.

As a global leader in oncology, Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique and equal balance between cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world, offering more than 1,200 clinical trials. 

###

Media Contact

Victoria Warren
Victoria_Warren@dfci.harvard.edu
617-939-5531

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New open-source software allows for efficient 3D printing with multiple materials

2025-10-13

A new open-source tool is reshaping how engineers design multi-material objects. Charles Wade, a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, has created a design system software package that uses functions and code to map not just shapes but also where different materials belong in a 3D object. The project, called OpenVCAD, was developed in the Matter Assembly Computation Lab led by Assistant Professor Robert MacCurdy of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. A new paper, published October 13 in the journal Additive Manufacturing, highlights the design tool and its potential to ...

Decoding the secrets of ‘chemo brain’

2025-10-13

Cancer is a challenging enough diagnosis, but many patients are dealt a second blow, even as they heal: “chemo brain.” Also called “brain fog,” this mix of cognitive issues — memory problems, struggling to find words, an inability to concentrate — affects up to three-in-four cancer patients, according to multiple studies. For many, the effects last years beyond cancer treatment. A new study offers new models for studying causes of chemo brain and points to the effects of chemotherapy drugs on the brain’s lymphatic system, which ...

‘Far from negligible’: New Australian fossil fuel site will have major impact on people and the planet

2025-10-13

A new fossil fuel site approved for development off Western Australia’s coast is estimated to contribute 876 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the course of its lifetime, according to new research led by The Australian National University (ANU) in collaboration with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st century. The level of emissions from the Scarborough project – with liquified natural gas production from the site expected to start in 2026 and continue for at least the next 31 years – will cause, on average, 0.00039 degrees Celsius of additional global warming. The ...

UK heatwaves overwhelm natural ecological safeguards to increase wildfire risk

2025-10-13

Heatwaves in the UK have led to unseasonable drying of vegetation bypassing natural ecological processes that limit the spread of wildfires, a new study has found. In a paper published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, a team of researchers led by the University of Birmingham have been studying moisture levels in plant life and carbon-rich soil around the UK to understand variations that affect the risk of wildfire. Alongside their three-year sampling period, the first long term survey ...

Key ExoMars Rover part ships from Aberystwyth

2025-10-13

The search for life on Mars takes a leap forward today, as a key instrument for a major space mission begins its journey from Aberystwyth University to Italy for testing. The infrared spectrometer, named Enfys, will be a part of the suite of remote sensing instruments onboard the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover. The Rosalind Franklin Rover is part of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars programme and Europe’s first Mars rover. Designed to be operated remotely across the planet’s rugged terrain, it will drill up to two metres beneath ...

90% of Science Is Lost: Frontiers’ revolutionary AI-powered service transforms data sharing to deliver breakthroughs faster

2025-10-13

Most scientific data never fuel the discoveries they should. For every 100 datasets created, around 80 remain in the lab, 20 are shared but rarely reused, fewer than two meet FAIR standards, and only one typically drives new findings. The result: delayed cancer treatments, climate models short on evidence, and research that cannot be reproduced. Frontiers, the open-science publisher, is tackling this problem with the launch of Frontiers FAIR² Data Management, the world’s first all-in-one, ...

Skin symptoms may forewarn mental health risks

2025-10-12

Scientists have discovered that mental health patients who have skin conditions may be more at risk of worse outcomes, including suicidality and depression. This work, which may aid in identifying at-risk patients and personalising psychiatric treatment, is presented at the ECNP meeting in Amsterdam. The researchers looked at 481 patients with a first episode of psychosis (which is the first time an individual experiences a psychotic episode, such as loss of contact with reality, hallucinations and delusions). On testing, 14.5% were found to have dermatological symptoms (24% female, 9.8% male) such as rash, itching, photosensitivity, etc. All patients were given ...

Brain test predicts ability to achieve orgasm – but only in patients taking antidepressants

2025-10-12

Researchers have discovered that the ability to have an erection or to orgasm is related to the levels of serotonin in the brain, but this relation only applies to depressed patients taking SSRI antidepressants. At the moment, there is no test for who might experience sexual problems during treatment for depression, but this discovery may help depressed patients to choose antidepressants which allow them to maintain or regain an active sex life when treated with antidepressants. This work is presented at the ECNP conference in Amsterdam. Sexual dysfunction is a common symptom of ...

‘New reality’ as world reaches first climate tipping point

2025-10-12

Widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs under way, as world reaches first tipping point With global warming set to breach 1.5°C, world dangerously close to further catastrophic tipping points These include melting ice sheets, Amazon rainforest dieback and collapse of vital ocean currents Tipping points pose a new type of threat that current international structures and agreements are not designed to counter Key to averting catastrophe is to act urgently, by supporting societal transformation and triggering ‘positive tipping points’ such as the self-propelling rollout of green technologies The world ...

Non-English primary language may raise risk of delirium after surgery, study finds

2025-10-12

SAN ANTONIO — Older patients who primarily speak a language other than English may face a greater risk of developing delirium after surgery in U.S. hospitals, according to new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025 annual meeting. The study also found that a lower socioeconomic status further increased patients’ risk. Postoperative delirium is a change in mental function that can cause confusion in up to 15% of surgical patients. In certain high-risk patients, such as those with hip fractures, the incidence can be even higher. It is a significant complication in older adults. “Our study provides evidence that speaking a first or ...

Breast, lung, and bladder cancer phase 3 trials led by Dana-Farber presented at ESMO Congress 2025

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: