Based on ZoomRx’s 8th Annual ASCO Survey of 78 practicing oncologists who attended the ASCO26 Annual Meeting, the conference was inspiring and advanced the field of oncology.
Nearly all oncologists we surveyed found ASCO26 exciting, with ~80% viewing the data presented this year as a major scientific advance or breakthrough. This is up from 69% last year and the highest level in recent years, reflecting a sense of accelerating scientific progress among oncologists.
This sense of progress was driven by several presentations oncologists viewed as both scientifically groundbreaking and practice-changing. Among the most attended and potentially practice-changing were RASolute-302, which showed significant survival benefit of daraxonrasib in second-line pancreatic cancer, and HARMONi-6, which supported the use of ivonescimab in first-line NSCLC. These plenary sessions, plus an array of presentations on ADCs, contributed to the overwhelming majority (86%) of oncologists saying data presented at ASCO26 would lead them to change their treatment approach in the clinic.
For many oncologists we surveyed, RASolute was the clear high point of ASCO26. They viewed the results as a long-awaited breakthrough in pancreatic cancer and a sign that the promise of RAS-targeted therapies may finally be realized in this and other cancers. Among those who attended the session, 84% said they were ready to adopt daraxonrasib as a new standard of care. Some also noted an immediate impact on their practice, particularly because the drug was already available at some centers through an early access program before the meeting. The presentation drew applause and a standing ovation, showing that clinicians found it impressive and moving.
“I believe this was a very exciting year for ASCO due to the numerous groundbreaking updates that were presented […]. In particular, the pancreatic space in the KRAS mutated patients with daraxonrasib, which received a standing ovation, almost 10 minutes. […] This has been a very challenging cancer to treat in the metastatic setting and we've been waiting for a breakthrough for quite some time.” -Medical Oncologist, Academic setting
The reception of HARMONi-6 was more nuanced. Although it was one of the most anticipated sessions and most (61%) oncologists found the strength of the data to be compelling, only 17% said they would be ready to adopt it as a new standard of care. This likely reflects the need for broader global validation of the HARMONi-6 trial, a point emphasized during the post-presentation discussion.
‘’A lot of the therapies that were presented at ASCO are paramount and the TALAPRO-3 study and HARMONi as well as the RASolute trial, were all groundbreaking’’ - Medical Oncologist, Community setting
Many oncologists we surveyed noted that data for PD-1/VEGF bispecifics and ADCs were the biggest themes of the conference, continuing the trend we observed last year.
Both classes continued to capture attention and were cited as potentially transformational, with ADCs in particular seen as increasingly likely to change everyday clinical practices.
“ADCs have clearly moved from an emerging class to a central pillar of oncology and are now on track to become one of the dominant treatment backbones of the next decade” - Medical Oncologist, Academic setting
Reflecting the continued momentum behind ADCs and their movement to earlier lines of therapy and earlier settings, nearly half (45%) of oncologists now strongly agree that the treatments in this class have the potential to transform their practices over the next 12 months, up from 35% last year. However, some challenges to realizing the full potential of ADCs remain. Identifying patients who require optimal sequencing, benefit from ADCs, and novel targets for ADCs were the top three barriers this year. While generally consistent with last year’s findings, “balancing the efficacy and toxicities” decreased slightly as a barrier – potentially reflecting oncologists’ growing comfort with managing ADC side-effects.
“Bispecific antibodies moved from a promising concept to validated next-generation platform, which the first real evidence that they can outperform existing standards-especially PD-1 based therapy” - Medical Oncologist, Academic setting
Oncologists we surveyed expressed high hopes for the “incredible potential” of PD-1/VEGF bispecifics. While enthusiasm for the long-term promise of bispecifics remains strong, the short-term impact is still somewhat uncertain. This year about 4 in 10 (37%) oncologists strongly agreed that this class of therapies has the potential to transform their clinical practice in the next 12 months, representing only a modest increase from 31% last year.
Oncologists raised the need for more validation and more global data before broader adoption. Other concerns were similar to those raised for ADCs, including identification of the right patients, sequencing questions, and managing toxicities.
Based on the ZoomRx #ASCO26 survey, oncologists were inspired by many of the ASCO26 presentations. With several of the plenary and other data sets having the potential to influence treatment decisions immediately and within the next 1-2 years, oncologists are going back to their clinics with tangible and immediately applicable options.
While the #ASCO26 goal of delivering treatments with meaningful outcomes to every patient, in every tumor, everywhere remains aspirational, oncologists feel the field of oncology is moving in the right direction.