VJOncology Podcast

In this episode of VJOncology podcasts, we present highlights from the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Five leading experts share key data and insights spanning prostate cancer, sarcoma, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. Dr Mary-Ellen Taplin from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute presents final analysis data from the PROTEUS trial, demonstrating that perioperative apalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) sets a new standard of care in high-risk localized prostate cancer. Dr Maggie Zhou from Stanford University highlights practice-changing findings in sarcoma, including the SARC041 trial of abemaciclib in dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Dr Abdul Rafeh Naqash from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center reviews key lung cancer advances, including results from the DeLLphi-304, LIBRETTO-432, and ALCHEMIST trials. Dr Scott Kopetz from MD Anderson Cancer Center presents progression-free and overall survival data from BREAKWATER Cohort 3, supporting encorafenib plus cetuximab combined with FOLFIRI as a new standard of care in BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer. Finally, Dr Kevin Kalinsky from Emory University discusses PFS2 data from ASCENT-04, reinforcing sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab as a standard of care in treatment-naive PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. This episode offers essential insights into practice-changing data across five major tumor types from one of the most important oncology meetings of the year.

In this roundtable discussion from iwCAR-T 2026, a panel of experts in cell therapy for solid tumours discuss the current state of CAR T-cell therapy beyond hematological malignancies. The panel explores key challenges including target selection, T-cell persistence, and the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment, alongside emerging strategies such as armoured CARs, combination approaches with targeted therapies, and in vivo CAR T-cell generation. The discussion also addresses the importance of patient selection and earlier lines of therapy, and considers how academic–industry partnerships and evolving manufacturing technologies may shape the future of the field.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we mark Bladder Cancer Awareness Month by exploring recent advances in bladder cancer research and clinical care. Join Joaquim Bellmunt of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, Eva Compérat of Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, Roberto Contieri of Humanitas University, Milan, Italy, and Vadim Koshkin of University of California, San Francisco, CA, as they discuss circulating tumor DNA for MRD monitoring in muscle-invasive bladder cancer, advances in intravesical therapies and urinary tract diagnostics, de-escalated approaches for low-grade non-muscle-invasive disease, and the evolving molecular classification of bladder cancer into luminal and basal subtypes.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we bring you key updates from the 2026 AACR meeting across early-phase immuno-oncology and targeted therapy. Join leading experts Bruno Bockorny, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, Byoung Chul Cho, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea, Kristen Pauken, and Timothy Yap, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, as they discuss the clinical challenges of immune-related adverse events with checkpoint inhibitors, early signals from first-in-human studies of PLN-101095 in refractory solid tumors, emerging safety and activity data from a Phase I dose-escalation study of denikitug, and updated results of elisrasib monotherapy in previously treated KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

In this week's instalment of the VJOncology podcast, we examine the rapidly evolving treatment landscape of advanced non-small cell lung cancer, drawing on expert insights from ELCC 2026. This episode spans the breadth of precision oncology in NSCLC: from the clinical challenges of rare actionable alterations and emerging targeted agents, to the growing complexity of first-line treatment sequencing, and the arrival of a promising new immunotherapy class in thoracic oncology. Leading clinicians and researchers from the Jules Bordet Institute, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Institut Curie, and Lausanne University Hospital discuss BRAF non-V600E mutations, KRAS G12C, HER2-mutant disease, EGFR exon 20 insertions, amivantamab-based combinations, and the evolving role of bispecific T-cell engagers in NSCLC and mesothelioma. This episode provides actionable insight for clinicians navigating an increasingly crowded and competitive treatment landscape in advanced NSCLC.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we mark Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month by exploring recent advances in head and neck cancer. Join Kevin Harrington, The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, Takeshi Kodaira, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan, Andreas Dietz, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany, and Nabil Saba, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, as they discuss key clinical trial updates, including OrigAMI-4, ASPEN-04, CompARE, and JCOG1912, alongside evolving strategies optimizing radiation dosing, reducing late toxicities, and improving management of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we had the opportunity to attend the 2026 British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG) conference, where we explored key developments in lung cancer screening, diagnostics, and clinical research. Join Robert Rintoul, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, Lauren Dixon, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK, Mariana Brandao, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium, and Anna Bibby, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK as they discuss national screening updates, insights from the State of the Nation report, ongoing EORTC trials, and the clinical implications of incidental findings in lung cancer screening programs.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we had the opportunity to attend the 12th Immunotherapy of Cancer (ITOC) Conference, where we explored cutting-edge developments in cancer immunotherapy and tumor biology. Join David Giles of Washington University in St. Louis, MO, Bernard Fox of Providence Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, and Krijn Dijkstra of Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands as they discuss innovative approaches including live cell and dark antigen vaccines, adoptive cell therapy in melanoma, and tumor-intrinsic mechanisms shaping immune exclusion in colorectal cancer.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, we will be covering highlights from ASCO GU 2026 in San Francisco, CA. Dive into the latest advancements in genitourinary cancers, including groundbreaking trial results and emerging treatment strategies. In this episode, join Enrique Gallardo, MD, Parc Taulí University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, Jan-Jaap Mellema, MD, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Pooja Ghatalia, MD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, Joaquim Bellmunt, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, and, Aly-Khan Lalani, MD, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, as they discuss critical findings from ASCO GU 2026, including combination therapies, innovative approaches to bladder preservation, and novel biomarkers in prostate and renal cell carcinoma.

In this week’s VJOncology podcast, as part of Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month in the UK, we are pleased to bring you the latest advances shaping the treatment landscape for oesophageal and gastroesophageal cancers. Join leading experts Yelena Janjigian, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Berend van der Wilk, MD, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Kohei Shitara, MD, National Cancer Center Hospital East, and Ian Chau, MD, Royal Marsden Hospital, as they discuss pivotal data from key clinical trials across the disease spectrum. Our expert panel highlights how these data are refining first-line strategies, informing organ-preserving approaches, and advancing biomarker-driven therapies in oesophageal and gastroesophageal cancers.