ESMO 2026: UT MD Anderson highlights innovative approaches to monitor, prevent and treat cancer
UT MD Anderson Research News October 25, 2026
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Researchers at Â鶹ӳ» MD Anderson Cancer Center presented new findings at the showcasing emerging strategies to better monitor treatment responses, to prevent cancer development in high-risk individuals and to improve outcomes with targeted therapies. This research spans multiple disease settings, including lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, skin cancer and Lynch syndrome.
In addition to these studies, UT MD Anderson researchers also presented late-breaking abstracts demonstrating improved survival with divarasib in KRAS-mutant lung cancer and with an immunotherapy-based regimen in advanced endometrial cancer. All UT?MD Anderson ESMO content can be found at MDAnderson.org/ESMO.
Cancer interception vaccine boosts immune responses in Lynch syndrome carriers (Abstract )
Lynch syndrome is a hereditary condition that substantially increases the risk of colorectal, endometrial and other cancers. In a cohort expansion of the Phase I trial testing Nous-209, an investigational neoantigen-based vaccine designed to intercept cancer development in individuals with Lynch syndrome, researchers evaluated safety and outcomes following re-vaccination. The study assessed two re-vaccination strategies, each administered one year after an initial vaccine series. Both approaches were well tolerated, with no severe side effects. Investigators reported enhanced T cell immune responses following re-vaccination, with the strongest immune boost seen in patients receiving a single neoantigen booster dose. In addition, no advanced colorectal cancers were detected in follow-up colonoscopies for study participants. , chair ad-interim of Clinical Cancer Prevention, presented the findings Oct. 25.
¡°Cancer interception seeks to prevent cancer before it develops, fundamentally changing how we approach care for individuals at highest risk,¡± Vilar-Sanchez said. ¡°These findings show that re-vaccination can safely strengthen and sustain immune responses, supporting continued development of vaccine-based prevention strategies for people in this population.¡±
Early ctDNA clearance linked to improved outcomes in localized resectable lung cancer (Abstract )
In the Phase 2 NeoCOAST-2 trial, researchers evaluated whether changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) could help identify which patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer are most likely to benefit from treatment. They found patients whose ctDNA was cleared from the bloodstream early in treatment with novel perioperative combination regimens had better outcomes and a lower risk of recurrence. Patients who achieved both ctDNA clearance and a pathologic complete response at surgery experienced the most favorable outcomes. The findings suggest ctDNA may serve as an early biomarker of treatment effectiveness and could help inform future treatment decisions. , professor of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology, presented the findings Oct. 25, and these data were published concurrently in .
¡°While pathologic response has become an important measure of treatment benefit, ctDNA can provide an earlier view of how a patient's cancer is responding,¡± Cascone said. ¡°These findings suggest ctDNA clearance may help identify patients most likely to achieve long-term benefits and could play an important role in guiding future perioperative treatment strategies.¡±
Ultrasensitive blood test tracks early response to therapy in triple-negative breast cancer (Abstract )
In the B-STRONGER-I study, researchers evaluated an ultrasensitive, tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay in patients with stage 1-3 triple-negative breast cancer receiving pre-surgery treatment. The assay detected ctDNA in 96% of patients at baseline and revealed rapid molecular responses after treatment initiation, with more than 80% of patients achieving ctDNA clearance by the first assessment. Early molecular clearance was associated with an increased likelihood of achieving a pathologic complete response, suggesting that ultrasensitive ctDNA monitoring may provide an early indication of treatment effectiveness. Investigators also observed clear differences by disease stage, with all patients with stage 1 disease achieving ctDNA clearance compared with 50% of patients with stage 3 disease. , professor of Breast Medical Oncology, presented the findings Oct. 23.
¡°These results demonstrate the potential of ultrasensitive ctDNA monitoring to provide a real-time view of how patients are responding to treatment,¡± Barcenas said. ¡°Earlier insights into treatment effectiveness could ultimately help physicians personalize treatment strategies and improve outcomes for these patients.¡±
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy delivers lasting benefit for patients with high-risk skin cancer (Abstract
UT MD Anderson researchers reported final results from a Phase 2 study evaluating neoadjuvant cemiplimab ¨C an immune checkpoint inhibitor ¨C in patients with resectable stage 2-4 cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer. After more than four years of follow-up, no new cancer recurrences were observed since the one-year analysis. More than 75% of patients remained free of disease-related events after 4.5 years (54 months), with the strongest outcomes seen in patients whose tumors completely responded to treatment before surgery. No new safety concerns were identified. The findings build upon previous positive results from this trial and provide some of the longest follow-up to date supporting the use of immunotherapy before surgery for patients with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. , professor of Head and Neck Surgery, presented the findings Oct. 24, and the data were published concurrently in the .
¡°These long-term results demonstrate that many patients can achieve durable disease control with immunotherapy given before surgery,¡± Gross said. ¡°The absence of new recurrences after the first year of follow-up reinforces the potential of this approach to improve outcomes for patients with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.¡±