New treatments and practice shaping trials presented at ESMO Congress

New treatments and practice shaping trials presented at ESMO Congress

18 September 2024

Peter Mac researchers stepped into the spotlight over the weekend to present their pivotal research findings at the the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO) 2024.

The ESMO congress, held in Barcelona, is globally recognised as an influential oncology meeting for clinicians, researchers and patient advocates to share and disseminate the latest advances in cancer research and care.

Professor Jayesh Desai, Peter Mac's Associate Director Clinical Research, said that it is impressive to see Peter Mac people being acknowledged globally as leaders in their field as well as many more presenting posters, developing collaborations and sharing ideas to help bring about better cancer outcomes.

"Professor Linda Mileshkin, Director of Medical Oncology at Peter Mac, was recognised for her expertise in a number of clinical areas chairing sessions in gynaecological cancer and Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP), as well as giving an educational talk in a CUP specific educational session held at ESMO for the first time," he said.

"She was also selected to be a member of the scientific committee (Gynaecological track) for the congress and give the scientific congress highlights lecture in gynaecological cancers, this is a wonderful honour and a tribute to the high regard she is held in."

Professor Mileshkin said ESMO was a great opportunity to highlight the expertise at Peter Mac in all areas of cancer research and clinical care.

"It was a pleasure to see the results of a trial I was heavily involved with be presented in a proffered paper session for developmental therapeutics," she said.

"Our trial was a first in human study with a new treatment for advanced metastatic solid tumours. As a first in human study, we are really pleased to be observing encouraging signals of efficacy as well as safety and tolerability with this new treatment known as AZD8205 (puxitatug samrotecan)."

Professor Trevor Leong, Consultant Radiation Oncologist was busy at ESMO 2024. He was a member of the ESMO 2024 Gastrointestinal Scientific Committee and a member of Faculty, he chaired a Special Symposium on 'Management of Oligometastatic Gastroesophageal Cancer and presented the results of the TOPGEAR trial.

"It was an honour to present the results of TOPGEAR, a global study that started at Peter Mac in 2009 at ESMO however it was incredibly special to have the results published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine," he said.

"The study set out to determine if radiotherapy before surgery and chemotherapy would improve survival outcomes for patients with operable gastric and gastro-esophageal junction cancer when compared to surgery and chemotherapy alone.

"The results are potentially practice changing. We clearly demonstrated that even when delivered optimally as preoperative therapy, radiotherapy does not improve survival outcomes compared to chemotherapy alone.

"The trial has therefore provided a high-quality answer to what has been a burning question in gastro-esohageal cancer for the past 20 years."

Associate Professor Arun Azad was honoured to be selected as the scientific track chair for Genitourinary tumours (prostate) as the congress. He also presented the results of a practice shaping trial, this one exploring the role of Lutetium-177 PSMA-617 - or LuPSMA in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer that has spread.

"We know that LuPSMA is beneficial in patients with advanced metastatic prostate cancers who have exhausted all other treatment options and this trial showed that adding LuPSMA therapy to the standard-of-care approach in newly diagnosed patients dramatically improved responses compared to chemotherapy alone," he said.

"Our trial called UpFrontPSMA was the first to test this treatment in earlier stages of prostate cancer and the trial's "remarkable" results were simultaneously published in Lancet Oncology."

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