The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 will bring cancer specialists from around the world to Madrid, Spain, from October 23 to 27. The five-day meeting will feature new research on cancer treatments, including promising targeted drugs, immunotherapies and studies examining how patients respond to treatment in everyday medical practice.
Among the companies presenting research are Flatiron Health, which has announced four studies involving colorectal, lung and prostate cancers, and Hengrui Pharma, which plans to share 64 research findings across more than ten oncology and supportive care areas.
The conference will also examine emerging approaches to breast and gynecological cancers, with researchers seeking better options for patients whose diseases have become resistant to existing treatments.
Flatiron Health Examines Cancer Treatment in Everyday Practice
Flatiron Health announced on October 20 that four of its research abstracts had been accepted for electronic poster presentations at ESMO 2026. The studies use patient information from routine clinical practice to examine treatment patterns, effectiveness and gaps in cancer care.
The company’s broader research network contributed data to 17 abstracts accepted for the congress. Its four highlighted studies involve patients in the United States, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Unlike clinical trials, which typically involve carefully selected participants following specific treatment plans, real-world research examines what happens when patients receive care through ordinary health systems.
Such studies can help identify differences in treatment access and outcomes among older patients, people with additional medical conditions and other groups that may be underrepresented in clinical trials.
Emily Castellanos, Flatiron Health’s head of research oncology, said these studies help address important questions that traditional trials cannot always answer.
The findings may help researchers understand whether promising results from controlled trials are also observed among broader groups of patients.
Colorectal Cancer Study Finds Survival Advantage
One Flatiron study examined patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who had already received treatment for advanced disease.
Researchers compared outcomes among patients receiving trifluridine-tipiracil with bevacizumab against those receiving trifluridine-tipiracil alone.
The analysis included medical records from 2,391 patients in the United States. Researchers used statistical methods to account for differences in patient characteristics when comparing treatment outcomes.
Patients receiving the two-drug combination had a median overall survival of 9.4 months, compared with 7.4 months for those receiving trifluridine-tipiracil alone.
The combination was also associated with a longer period before patients required another treatment or died. That measurement was 5.3 months for the combination group compared with 3.7 months for those receiving the single drug.
The results are consistent with previous evidence from the SUNLIGHT clinical trial, which demonstrated a survival advantage from adding bevacizumab.
However, the Flatiron study was observational rather than randomized. Differences between patient groups may still have influenced the results despite researchers’ efforts to account for them.
A separate multinational study will examine how doctors use metastasis-directed treatment for colorectal cancer in Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
These treatments target individual areas where cancer has spread. Researchers hope to identify differences in clinical practice and understand why patients in different health systems may receive different approaches.
Lung Cancer Research Investigates Low Sodium Levels
Another Flatiron study identified a potential connection between low blood sodium levels and poorer outcomes among patients receiving immunotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
The researchers examined patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.
Low sodium levels, a condition known as hyponatremia, were present in approximately 18% to 23% of patients at the beginning of treatment.
After accounting for certain clinical factors, researchers found that low sodium was significantly associated with shorter overall survival among U.S. patients. Similar patterns appeared in the European patient groups.
The findings suggest that a routine blood test could provide useful information when doctors assess patients beginning immunotherapy.
However, the research does not establish that low sodium directly causes poorer survival. It could also indicate underlying illness or other factors affecting a patient’s overall condition.
Additional studies would be needed to determine whether addressing low sodium changes cancer treatment outcomes.
Prostate Cancer Study Identifies Treatment and Testing Gaps
Flatiron will also present research examining the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the United States.
This form of prostate cancer continues progressing despite treatments that reduce testosterone levels or interfere with the hormones supporting cancer growth.
The study examined how often clinicians switch between androgen receptor pathway inhibitors during first-line treatment.
Researchers found that switching occurred in routine practice, particularly among older patients, even though evidence supporting the strategy remains limited.
The analysis also identified differences in treatment use and gaps in diagnostic testing.
These findings could help physicians evaluate whether some patients would benefit from alternative treatment approaches rather than switching between similar medications.
Researchers emphasized the need for more evidence before drawing firm conclusions about which strategy provides the greatest benefit.
Hengrui Pharma to Present 64 Oncology Research Findings
Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer Hengrui Pharma has announced a major research presence at ESMO 2026.
The company plans to present 64 findings, including three Proffered Paper presentations, three Rapid Oral presentations, 32 posters and 26 electronic posters.
The research covers several cancer types, including breast, lung, pancreatic, rectal, liver, gastric and cervical cancers.
Much of the attention will focus on antibody-drug conjugates, commonly known as ADCs.
These treatments combine an antibody designed to recognize a particular target on cancer cells with a powerful drug. The approach aims to deliver treatment more directly to tumors while limiting unnecessary exposure in other tissues.
ADCs are already used in several cancers, but researchers continue studying new drug combinations and targets that could make the treatments useful for more patients.
Hengrui is developing medicines that target HER2 and HER3, two proteins associated with certain cancer cells.
New Breast Cancer Drug Enters Phase 3 Research Spotlight
One of Hengrui’s leading presentations will examine trastuzumab rezetecan, also known as SHR-A1811.
The drug targets HER2 and is being evaluated in the HORIZON-Breast06 phase 3 trial involving patients with advanced breast cancer classified as HER2-low.
HER2-low cancers have smaller amounts of the HER2 protein than tumors traditionally categorized as HER2-positive.
That distinction matters because newer targeted medicines have expanded treatment possibilities for patients whose tumors contain lower levels of the protein.
The trial is led by Binghe Xu of the Cancer Hospital at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Researchers will present findings intended to clarify the drug’s effectiveness and potential role in treating advanced breast cancer.
Although trastuzumab rezetecan has received regulatory authorization for certain indications in China, authorization for one use does not establish that it is effective or approved for every cancer being investigated.
The new study will contribute additional evidence about its potential applications.
Experimental Lung Cancer Therapy Faces Comparison With Chemotherapy
Hengrui’s second major ADC presentation will focus on ruzaltatug rezetecan, also known as SHR-A2009.
The experimental treatment targets HER3 and is being investigated for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer containing EGFR mutations.
The HERON-Lung01 phase 3 trial compares the medicine with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients whose cancer progressed after treatment with EGFR-targeted drugs.
Researchers will present interim findings from the study, which is led by Yi-Long Wu of Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital.
China’s National Medical Products Administration accepted a marketing application for the drug for review in July 2026.
The medicine has also received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a specified group of patients with EGFR-mutated metastatic lung cancer.
Fast Track designation is not FDA approval. It is a regulatory process intended to help accelerate the development and review of treatments addressing serious medical needs.
Ruzaltatug rezetecan therefore remains investigational in the United States.
Pancreatic and Gynecological Cancers Remain Research Priorities
Hengrui will also present research involving a KRAS G12D inhibitor being developed for pancreatic cancer.
KRAS mutations are common in pancreatic tumors, making the protein an important target for researchers seeking more effective treatment options.
Developing medicines that successfully block certain KRAS mutations has been difficult. New targeted drugs could potentially offer options for patients whose cancers have limited responses to existing therapies.
The congress program will also feature research involving gynecological cancers, including endometrial and ovarian cancer.
One area of interest involves antibody-drug conjugates for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, which occurs when the disease progresses despite treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy.
Patients with platinum-resistant disease often have limited treatment options. Researchers are investigating whether newer targeted medicines can improve outcomes or provide additional choices after conventional treatments stop working.
ESMO’s scientific leadership has also identified immunotherapy, targeted treatments and artificial intelligence as important themes for this year’s conference.
Researchers Await Results That Could Influence Cancer Care
The ESMO Congress brings together oncologists, laboratory researchers, patient advocates and pharmaceutical developers to review scientific findings and discuss possible changes to treatment strategies.
Some studies presented at the meeting may support existing clinical practices. Others will provide early evidence that requires further testing before treatments can become widely available.
The distinction is especially important for studies involving experimental medicines. A promising result does not automatically lead to regulatory approval or establish that a treatment is appropriate for every patient with a particular cancer.
For Flatiron Health, the focus will be on understanding how treatments perform across different patient populations and health systems.
For Hengrui Pharma, the meeting will provide an opportunity to present clinical trial findings and expand scientific discussion about new targeted medicines.
The congress opens October 23 at IFEMA Madrid and continues through October 27. Researchers and clinicians will examine the evidence as detailed results are presented, with particular attention to which findings could influence future clinical trials, regulatory decisions and patient care.
IMAGE: Source Own work Author Siobhan Leachman CC1