Salah-Eddin Al-Batran, MD, on Sonesitatug Vedotin in CLDN18.2-Positive Gastroesophageal Cancer: Expert Point of View
ESMO Congress 2026
Salah-Eddin Al-Batran, MD, of Frankfurt Institute of Clinical Cancer Research (IKF), provides commentary on the clinical implications of the findings of the CLARITY-Gastric 01 trial, which evaluated the CLDN18.2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate sonesitatug vedotin vs investigator’s choice of therapy after at least one prior therapy for gastroesophageal cancer expressing CLDN18.2 (Abstract LBA7).
Funda Meric-Bernstam, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, reviews updated results from the FONTANA trial, a phase I/IIa, first-in-human, open-label study, which is evaluating the safety and efficacy of torvutatug samrotecan, a folate receptor α–targeted antibody-drug conjugate, in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (Abstract 1245RO).
Elizabeth Smyth, MD, of Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Churchill Hospital, reviews results from the phase III G-HOPE-001 trial, which evaluated the CLDN18.2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate arcotatug tavatecan in previously treated patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. Dr. Smyth was a co-chair of the proffered paper session that featured the abstract (Abstract LBA77).
The phase III HARMONi-GI1 trial is evaluating the efficacy and safety of ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, plus chemotherapy vs durvalumab plus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer. At the ESMO Congress 2026, invited discussant James J. Harding, MD, reviewed the results from the preplanned interim analysis (Abstract LBA8).
Shannon N. Westin, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, reviews interim overall survival and safety results from a randomized phase III study evaluating durvalumab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel followed by durvalumab with or without olaparib in patients with advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer (Abstract LBA37).
Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, of Humanitas University, summarizes findings from the phase III TroFuse-005/ENGOT-en23/GOG-3095 study, which showed sacituzumab tirumotecan, a TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate, provided statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in progression-free and overall survival and response vs treatment of physician’s choice in patients with previously treated advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, with manageable safety (Abstract LBA11).
