Highlights from ESMO 2026

In this week’s episode of VJOncology podcasts, we explore highlights in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer from the 2026 ESMO Annual Meeting and mark both gastric and pancreatic cancer awareness month. Join leading experts Filippo Pietrantonio of Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy, Hiroya Taniguchi from Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Aichi, Japan, Zev Wainberg of University of California, Los Angeles, CA, Lorenza Rimassa of Hunimed University, Milan, Italy, and David Tougeron of Poitiers University Hospital, Poitiers, France, to hear updates in GI cancer from the meeting. They discuss results from the SANO, RASolute 302, G-HOPE-001, KEYNOTE-975, PRABITAS, AZUR-1, EMERALD-3, FORTITUDE-101 and FORTITUDE-102 trials, as well as treatment strategies in gastric, pancreatic and rectal cancer. This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals. VJOncology’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Channel is supported by a life sciences company (listed on the channel page), which has no influence over the content.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we had the opportunity to attend the 2026 ESMO Congress in Madrid, Spain, where we explored the latest advances across several cancer types. Join Georgina Long of the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Tamim Niazi of McGill University, Montreal, Canada, James Harding of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Brian Slomovitz, Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL, and Valentina Boni of University Hospital Quirónsalud, Madrid, Spain, as they discuss emerging treatment strategies and clinical trial findings, including INTerpath-001 in melanoma, DASL-HiCaP in prostate cancer, HARMONi-GI1 in biliary tract cancer, KEYNOTE-C93 in endometrial cancer, and novel therapeutics such as pumitamig and emerging PD-1-targeted bispecific and bifunctional agents in other solid tumors.

On this week’s episode of VJOncology podcasts, we explore advances in personalized approaches towards prostate cancer. Join Anis Hamid of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Daniel Keizman of Ichilov-Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel, Susan Halabi of Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC, and Andrew Armstrong of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, as they discuss predictors of benefit for intensified therapy in metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer, a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based prognostic model in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and the association between tumor genetics, smoking and prostate cancer outcomes.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we are joined by Philippe Spiess of Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, to explore the role of tumor acidity in cancer progression and immune evasion. Dr Spiess discusses how the acidic tumor microenvironment suppresses T-cell function, the potential of pH modulation to enhance antitumor immunity and improve responses to immunotherapy, and preclinical findings on tumor growth and survival. He also outlines an upcoming first-in-human trial investigating transdermal delivery of a therapy designed to modulate tumor pH, including its rationale, key safety and efficacy biomarkers, and potential role in combination with existing immunotherapies.

For this week’s VJOncology podcast, we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month by bringing you the key updates in breast cancer. Join leading experts Zunairah Shah of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, Walter Weber of University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland, Claudio Vernieri of Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy, Yeon Hee Park of Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea, and Jennifer Ligibel of Dana-Farber Cancer Center, Boston, MA, as they discuss recent therapeutic and surgical advances. They explore data from the BWEL, PREPEC, DESTINY-Breast09, PALMARES-2, ASCENT-07 trials, as well as the link between GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy and breast cancer risk.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we mark Liver Cancer Awareness Month by exploring the latest advances in hepatocellular and hepatobiliary cancers. Join Ghassan Abou-Alfa of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Manon Allaire of Greater Paris University Hospitals, Paris, France, Stephen Lam Chan of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, and Lorenza Rimassa of Humanitas University, Milan, Italy, as they discuss findings from the EMERALD-3 trial, challenges in selecting first-line therapies, the role of cirrhosis and artificial intelligence in patient management, evolving immunotherapy strategies, and emerging modalities including next-generation immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, and cell therapies.

This week on VJOncology podcasts, we bring you a roundtable discussion from iwCAR-T 2026 exploring novel cellular therapy technologies in solid tumors. Join Marco Davila of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kedar Kirtane of Moffitt Cancer Center, Nathan Welty of Penn Medicine, Eric Smith of Dana Farber Cancer Center, Sebastian Kobold of Ludwig Maximilian University, and Yihan Zuo of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, as they explore novel engineering strategies and how to overcome common issues with CAR T-cell therapy in solid tumors.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we had the opportunity to attend the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Seoul, South Korea, where we explored the latest advances across thoracic oncology. Join Tom Newsom-Davis of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, Giulia Pasello of Institute Oncology Veneto, Padua, Italy, Alexander Spira of Virginia Cancer Specialists and US Oncology, Fairfax, VA, Mark Jeng of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, and Triparna Sen, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, as they discuss the PAPILLON and REZILIENT 3 studies, perioperative treatment in mesothelioma, advances in small cell lung cancer, and more.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we explore the latest developments in neuro-oncology, including emerging approaches in immunotherapy, PARP inhibition, and radioligand therapy. Join Nicholas Blondin and Sylvia Kurz of Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, Martin Hojgaard of Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, Tolga Tuncer of the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas, KC, and Dinu Stefan of François Baclese Cancer Center, Caen, France, as they discuss key ASCO findings, including the MAGMA and ROADS trials, lutetium-177 dotatate in meningioma, the molecular landscape of MTAP deletions, neoantigen-specific T-cell therapy for glioblastoma, and intermittent olaparib combined with radiotherapy and temozolomide in high-grade gliomas.

In recognition of Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, this episode of VJOncology podcasts explores recent advances shaping the treatment and diagnosis of gynecologic cancer. Join leading experts Linda Mileshkin of Peter MacCallum Cancer Center, Melbourne, Australia, Martin Hojgaard of Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, Claudia Marchetti of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCSS, Rome, Italy, and Shailendra Dandge of the Society for Health Allied Research Education India, Hyderabad, India, as they discuss key developments. They cover new data for novel therapeutics including puxitatug samrotecan and EIK1003, the prognostic effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in ovarian cancer and a community health volunteer-led intervention to improve cervical cancer screening participation in low-resource settings.