Sagus Sampath, MD, is an associate clinical professor and medical director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope in Duarte, California

Dana Chase, MD, is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at UCLA Health.

Premal H. Thaker, MD,MS is the David G. and Lynn Mutch Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Director, Gynecological Oncology Clinical Research; Interim Chief, Division of Gynecologic Oncology.

Zev A. Wainberg, MD, MSc, is a professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine at UCLA and co-director of the UCLA GI Oncology Program

, which provides oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care. In both digital and print formats, 

 covers every angle of oncology practice, from new technology to treatment advances to important regulatory decisions.

In today’s episode, leading experts across oncology specialties previewed the key studies and data they are most anticipating ahead of the 

Dana M. Chase, MD, a professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at UCLA, discussed her excitement to see findings from a phase 1 trial (NCT05403554) investigating NI-1801 in patients with heavily pretreated, mesothelin-expressing platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer.

Premal H. Thaker, MD, MS, the David G. and Lynn Mutch Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research at Siteman Cancer Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, discussed the anticipation for findings from a multi-omic analysis of the phase 3 AtTEnd/ENGOT-EN7 trial (NCT03603184) of atezolizumab in patients with endometrial cancer and data demonstrating that the WES-derived Aneuploidy Score may identify patients with mismatch repair–deficient endometrial cancer who derive reduced benefit from immunotherapy.

Zev Wainberg, MD, the Estelle, Abe, and Marjorie Sanders Chair in Cancer Research at UCLA, shared his anticipation for new data in gastrointestinal oncology, particularly the overall survival results from the phase 3 MATTERHORN trial (NCT04592913) of durvalumab plus fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel in patients with resectable gastric and gastroesophageal cancer, which are expected to provide pivotal updates following previously reported event-free survival outcomes.

Sagus Sampath, MD, an associate clinical professor and medical director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope in Duarte, California, highlighted the phase 2 NorthStar trial (NCT03410043) evaluating osimertinib (Tagrisso) with or without local consolidative therapy in patients with metastatic 

-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

That’s all we have for today! Thank you for listening to this episode of 

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Leading experts across oncology specialties preview the key studies and data they are most anticipating ahead of the 2025 ESMO Congress.

Oncology Experts Preview Key Studies Ahead of the 2025 ESMO Congress

Sagus Sampath, MD

“Given the concerns for causing pneumonitis with concurrent osimertinib and radiation, because there have been data on that leading up to this trial, we purposely had patients hold osimertinib [during radiotherapy], and that made a big difference as far as toxicity outcomes.”

Sagus Sampath, MD, an associate clinical professor and medical director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope, discussed the safety profile of consolidative radiotherapy administered in conjunction with osimertinib (Tagrisso) in patients with advanced 

mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on findings from a phase 2 trial (NCT03667820) evaluating long-term local and intracranial control outcomes.

The study sought to determine whether combining targeted therapy with local radiation could be delivered safely without compromising efficacy or increasing pulmonary toxicity. A key aspect of the study design involved holding osimertinib during thoracic radiotherapy to mitigate the risk of treatment-related pneumonitis—a well-documented concern in prior experiences with concurrent EGFR TKIs and thoracic radiation, Sampath began. As he noted, most lesions treated in the trial were thoracic or lung-based, necessitating caution when combining these modalities.

The study demonstrated that this approach was both safe and feasible, Sampath reported. The incidence of symptomatic or grade 3 or higher pneumonitis was considered acceptably low given the potential risk for pulmonary toxicity in this setting, Sampath stated. These findings suggest that temporary interruption of osimertinib during radiotherapy significantly reduces the risk of high-grade pneumonitis and maintains the therapeutic benefits of both systemic and local treatments, he summarized.

Importantly, the interruption of osimertinib during radiation did not appear to compromise efficacy outcomes, Sampath said. The data indicated that holding osimertinib during radiotherapy maintained durable disease control, including local and intracranial responses, supporting the safety and effectiveness of this combined modality approach, he emphasized. According to Sampath, these findings underscore the value of a balanced treatment strategy that mitigates toxicity without sacrificing clinical benefit.

Videos

Sagus Sampath, MD, discusses the safety profile of consolidative radiotherapy administered in conjunction with osimertinib in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC

Dr Sampath on the Safety of Consolidative Radiotherapy Plus Osimertinib in Advanced EGFR-Mutant NSCLC

Sagus Sampath, MD, assistant professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, City of Hope, discusses the safety profile of immunotherapy in combination with radiation in the treatment of patients with lung cancer.

The addition of radiation to checkpoint inhibitors may boost the clinical outcomes of patients with lung cancer. Experts are questioning whether administering radiation therapy during treatment with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor could provide significant responses to checkpoint blockade in these patients.

Sampath says that adverse events with radiation are often limited to where the radiation took place. Both radiation and immunotherapy can cause lung side effects and inflammation. In targeting the cancer cells with either radiation or immunotherapy, the health of the surrounding cells must be taken into consideration, Sampath says. If the treatment becomes too potent for the surrounding cells, side effects such as pneumonitis can occur, especially with radiation.

Combining radiation with immunotherapy is a relatively new technique, and Sampath says that understanding the efficacy and side effects of the regimen will come with experience.

Sagus Sampath, MD, assistant professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, City of Hope, discusses the safety profile of immunotherapy in combination with radiation in the treatment of patients with lung cancer.
 

Dr. Sampath on Safety of Immunotherapy Plus Radiation in Lung Cancer

Sagus Sampath, MD, assistant professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, City of Hope, discusses combinations of immunotherapy and radiation for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Radiation is a focused treatment to be directed to a certain area, explains Sampath. Giving radiation to a distant spot while the patient is receiving drug therapy could make the drug work better, Sampath adds. Current research is investigating this strategy to improve the treatment of patients with NSCLC.

Sagus Sampath, MD

Articles

Oncology Experts Preview Key Studies Ahead of the 2025 ESMO Congress

Dr Sampath on the Safety of Consolidative Radiotherapy Plus Osimertinib in Advanced EGFR-Mutant NSCLC

Dr. Sampath on Safety of Immunotherapy Plus Radiation in Lung Cancer

Dr. Sampath on Immunotherapy and Radiation Combinations in NSCLC