Top 5 Papers
#1
Source: Annals of Oncology | Authors: Rao S, Samalin-Scalzi E, Evesque L, et al. | Published: May 5, 2026
Score: 15/20 — Base 7 (Ann Oncol) + 3 (Phase III RCT) + 3 (new standard of care) + 2 (OS benefit) = 15
Final analysis of the global Phase 3 POD1UM-303/InterAACT-2 trial (n=308; Europe, Australia, Japan, UK, US) in systemic-therapy-naïve advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCAC) — historically an orphan disease with chemo-only mOS ~22 months. Adding retifanlimab (PD-1) to carboplatin–paclitaxel produced a continued PFS benefit (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.47–0.81; nominal p=0.0002) and a consistent OS improvement (median 32.8 vs 22.2 months; HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.55–1.01; p=0.0305). ORR 56.5% vs 44.8%, disease-control 87.7% vs 80.5%. The OS signal held in every prespecified subgroup and in crossover-adjusted analyses (77 placebo patients crossed over). The authors conclude retifanlimab + chemo "represents a new reference treatment and standard of care" for inoperable, locally recurrent, or metastatic SCAC — the first IO-based 1L SOC in this disease.
Post angle: First IO-based 1L SOC in anal cancer is here. POD1UM-303 final OS lands hard: 32.8 vs 22.2 mo. Practice changes today. #AnalCancer #GIOnc #Immunotherapy
#2
Source: Lancet | Authors: Kaminski MF, Kalager M, Løberg M, … Bretthauer M, et al. | Published: May 5, 2026
Score: 14/20 — Base 9 (Lancet) + 3 (Phase III RCT) + 2 (survival/population endpoint) = 14
Long-awaited 13-year update from the multicountry NORDICC trial — 84,583 men and women aged 55–64 across Norway, Poland, and Sweden randomized 1:2 to single-screening colonoscopy or no screening. CRC incidence at 13 years was 1.46% in the screening arm vs 1.80% in controls (intention-to-screen RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.71–0.90; per-protocol RR 0.55, 0.33–0.81). Effect was driven by distal lesions (RR 0.79, p<0.0001 for distal vs proximal interaction) and more pronounced in men (RR 0.77) than women (RR 0.87). CRC mortality, however, was not significantly reduced (ITT RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.68–1.08; per-protocol RR 0.70, 0.26–1.25). Critically, baseline CRC mortality in the no-screen group (0.47%) was far below the 0.82% assumed when the trial was designed — leaving the trial underpowered for a mortality endpoint.
Post angle: NORDICC at 13 years: one colonoscopy cuts CRC incidence (RR 0.81 ITT, 0.55 per-protocol) but mortality benefit still not statistically significant. Background mortality fell harder than expected — interpret carefully. #CRC #GIOnc #Screening
#3
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology | Authors: Nie RC, Jin Y, Liang CC, … Yuan SQ, et al. (Sun Yat-sen University) | Published: May 5, 2026
Score: 14/20 — Base 8 (JCO) + 2 (Phase 2 randomized) + 2 (OS benefit) + 2 (KOL engagement: @DraMartinezLago + @DaisukeKotani) = 14
Three-year follow-up of the randomized Phase 2 NEOSUMMIT-01 trial (n=108; toripalimab + chemo vs chemo alone) in locally advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma. With a median follow-up of 43.2 months, 3-year EFS was 74.7% (95% CI 63.6–87.7) vs 56.2% (43.3–73.0) — HR 0.51 (95% CI 0.27–0.98; p=0.044). Three-year OS was 81.3% vs 72.2% — HR 0.45 (95% CI 0.21–0.95; p=0.036). Survival benefit was consistent across most prespecified subgroups and persisted when dMMR patients were excluded, suggesting the effect is not driven by hypermutated tumors alone. Provides one of the cleanest non-Western perioperative IO datasets to date and pressure-tests the perioperative immunochemotherapy paradigm established by MATTERHORN and KEYNOTE-585.
Post angle: NEOSUMMIT-01 at 3 years: perioperative toripalimab + chemo in LA gastric/GEJ delivers OS HR 0.45 — and the benefit holds in pMMR. Perioperative IO in GC keeps stacking the deck. #GastricCancer #GIOnc
#4
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology | Authors: Vieito M, Fontana E, Han CH, … Keshelava N, et al. | Published: JCO Vol 44 Issue 14 — May 5, 2026 issue
Score: 11/20 — Base 8 (JCO) + 2 (Phase Ia/b) + 1 (biomarker-guided/precision) = 11
First-in-human Phase Ia/b of mosperafenib, a next-generation paradox-breaker, brain-penetrant BRAF inhibitor, in 80 BRAFV600E-mutant advanced solid tumors (63 CRC, 13 melanoma, 4 other). 60% of patients had prior BRAFi exposure. Mosperafenib was given orally up to 3,600 mg daily; MTD was not reached. Grade 3–4 TRAEs in 16.3%; only 2.5% discontinued for TRAEs; notably no palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia or keratoacanthoma — the dose-limiting toxicities of paradox-active first-gen BRAFi. Linear PK with sustained ≥90% pERK inhibition. Single-agent ORR 24.2% across all tumors (including 2 CRs); mPFS 6.4 months in CRC and 3.5 months in melanoma. Sets the stage for combination phase II/III work with EGFR blockade in CRC.
Post angle: Mosperafenib: a paradox-breaker, brain-penetrant BRAFi with 24% ORR + 6.4-mo mPFS as single agent in BRAFV600E CRC. No PPE, no keratoacanthoma. The clean toxicity profile is the headline. #BRAF #CRC #GIOnc
#5
Source: Communications Medicine (Nature) | Authors: Okawaki M, Shimokawa M, Inada R, … Nagasaka T, et al. | Published: May 8, 2026
Score: 9/20 — Base 5 (Other) + 3 (Phase III RCT) + 1 (QoL/elderly impact) = 9
Long-term update from the open-label Japanese Phase 3 C-cubed trial in 1L mCRC (n=311 randomized; 300 in full-analysis set). Patients received fluoropyrimidine + bevacizumab with oxaliplatin added at progression (sequential) versus FOLFOX + bevacizumab from the start (upfront). Median OS was essentially superimposable — 27.2 vs 27.4 months (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.76–1.33; p=0.98) — with no signal of age effect modification. Patient-reported outcomes favored sequential treatment: smaller early declines in physical functioning and less sensory neuropathy. Pragmatic data supporting an oxaliplatin-deferred 1L strategy in older or vulnerable patients without compromising survival — a useful counterweight to the TRIBE-style intensification narrative.
Post angle: C-cubed Phase 3: in 1L mCRC, holding oxaliplatin until progression gives you the SAME OS (27.2 vs 27.4 mo) with less neuropathy and a softer early-treatment burden. Elderly/frail patients — take note. #CRC #GIOnc #SharedDecisionMaking
Additional Papers of Interest
-
ESMO Open (Nichetti et al.) — 131 BTC patients with WGS/WES + RNAseq; 20% received molecularly-informed therapy with mPFS 4.6 mo and a 60% PFS-ratio benefit rate; PTPRM gene fusions surfaced as an ultra-rare BTC-enriched event.
-
Clinical Cancer Research (Lee, Kopetz et al., MD Anderson) — BET + BRAF + EGFR inhibition profoundly downregulates ETS/MYC core-regulatory circuits and outperforms MAPK blockade alone in PDX models, providing the preclinical rationale for NCT06102902.
-
BMC Cancer (Yi et al.) — 8 RCTs, 7,619 patients: OS HR 0.79, PFS HR 0.72 vs chemo alone; cadonilimab+chemo best for PD-L1 unselected, pembro+chemo best for PD-L1 ≥1, sugemalimab+chemo best for PD-L1 ≥10.
-
The Oncologist (Pfeiffer, Cremolini, Ducreux et al.) — 6 Phase III placebo-controlled trials, 3,277 patients: pooled OS HR 0.69 for regorafenib / FTD-TPI / fruquintinib vs placebo; mOS improvement 1.86 months, 12-month RMST gain 1.25 months.
-
N Engl J Med (Der CJ, Yeh JJ) — Editorial accompanying the Wolpin et al. Phase 1-2 daraxonrasib paper; contextualizes RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibition as the first credible pan-RAS strategy in PDAC and previews the read-through to RASolute 302 (ASCO 2026 plenary).
-
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (Song et al., Fudan) — Microfluidic 3D PDOTS preserve immune microenvironment for 7 days, predict matched PDX responses with 80% concordance, and the derived OKI gene signature correlates (r=0.829) with clinical Atezo/Bev outcomes.
Back to all digests