In this high-velocity conference preview episode of The Gut-Onc Lab, Drs. Nicholas Hornstein, Timothy Brown, and Udhayvir Grewal sit down to dissect the most anticipated late-breaking abstracts heading into ESMO 2026. Scanning the entire gastrointestinal tract, the panel evaluates high-stakes Phase III data drops, novel antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), PD-1/VEGF bispecifics, and practice-defining de-escalation strategies.
Key Discussion Points
- Upper GI & Claudin 18.2 ADCs:
- gHOPE001 (LBA77): Previewing third-line claudin 18.2 ADC efficacy and assessing whether second-generation payloads mitigate historical emetic toxicities.
- CLARITY-Gastric-01 (LBA7): Analyzing the Phase III data for sonesi-v (sonidesib tugilimumab) in CLDN 18.2-positive gastroesophageal cancers, contrasting statistically significant overall survival (OS) against missed progression-free survival (PFS) endpoints.
- Long-Term SANO (LBA78) & REMIRAS: Evaluating five-year organ preservation data for clinical complete responders in esophageal cancer, alongside final second-line FOLFIRI-RAM vs. Ram-Pac taxane-pretreated outcomes.
- Biliary Tract Milestones:
- HARMONY-GI001: Evaluating first-line avenasimab (PD-1/VEGF bispecific) plus chemotherapy vs. durvalumab plus chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancers.
- ACTICA-1 / ActiCCA-1: Predicting whether six months of adjuvant Gemcitabine + Cisplatin (GemCis) will displace capecitabine (BILCAP) as the definitive post-resection standard of care.
- Colorectal & MSI-High Landmark Data:
- CheckMate-8HW Final OS (LBA32): Examining final overall survival curves for frontline Nivo/Ipi vs. single-agent Nivo and chemotherapy in dMMR/MSI-High metastatic colorectal cancer.
- AZUR-1 (LBA37): Reviewing global Phase II dostarlimab monotherapy results in locally advanced dMMR Stage II/III rectal cancer, detailing why a 100% complete clinical response rate renders randomized surgical control trials obsolete.
- ECLIPSE Phase II (788ro): Demonstrating why continuing encorafenib + cetuximab beyond progression alongside FOLFIRI prevents MAP-kinase unmasking in BRAF V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
00:48 Upper GI Preview
00:58 Claudin 18.2 ADC gHOPE001
03:17 CLARITY Gastric 01 Soni V
04:59 SANO Watch and Wait
07:29 REMIRAS Honorable Mention
08:29 Biliary HARMONY GI001 PD1 VEGF
12:51 ACTICA 1 Adjuvant Biliary
17:10 MSI High CRC CheckMate 8HW
20:33 Dostarlimab Rectal Azur 1
25:24 BRAF CRC ECLIPSE Beyond Progression
28:33 More Honorable Mentions and Posters
32:15 Final Thoughts and ESMO Wrap Up
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