The European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress was held in person (for the 1st time in 2 years) and virtually from 9-13 September 2022.And the next ESMO congress will be hold in Madrid, Spain. We interviewed with professor Andrés Cervantes who is a medical oncologist working at the University of Valencia, at the INCLIVA Research Institute, and the President-Elect of ESMO.
Oncology Frontier: Is there any research or presentation attracted your attention at this ESMO conference?
Dr Cervantes: I think this is an incredible meeting with a lot of very important presentations. Thinking back to yesterday at the Presidential Session, having a melanoma trial showing that neoadjuvant treatment is better than post-operative treatment. That is very important, Also, the previous day, we heard an impressive trial on cell therapies using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, showing a better effect than immunotherapeutic agents. And yesterday, a presentation on locally advanced colon cancer with microsatellite instability showing that checkpoint inhibition was able to induce a pathological complete remission in the majority of patients. Those are very important findings that are going to shape the way we practice oncology in the near future.
Oncology Frontier: You have done a lot of research on the mechanism of HER2 resistance in gastric cancer. We know that there have been many breakthroughs in HER2 ADC in recent years. Do you think this kind of drugs is an ideal choice for HER2 resistant patients?
Dr Cervantes: I think antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a very clever way of delivering chemotherapy, because it is more specific. You need an antibody. That antibody is going to link to the cell surface, and then by internalization, it is going to release the chemotherapy or the toxic compound that is attached. We have very important data in HER2-amplified tumors. There is one particular ADC that is very potent, not only to treat patients with this molecular alteration, but also to rescue or salvage those who were initially treated with standard antibodies, and as the disease progresses, these ADCs are able to produce important responses. We have several of these ADCs, and at this conference, there are some presentations on them. I think this means a better future for patients with cancers with HER2 amplifications.
Oncology Frontier: As the president-elect of ESMO, what are your prospects for the future ESMO development and next ESMO conference, especially under the influence of COVID-19?
Dr Cervantes: Next year, ESMO will be in Madrid. We will also expect a large number of abstracts and new science that we can disseminate. It looks like a miracle that every year we are able to get such impressive amounts of abstracts of such good quality. We hope, knowing that ESMO is a well-recognized platform to communicate and transmit to the Society these new findings, that next year will also be very successful.