[ESMO 2024] 'Terminal Cancer is a Death Sentence' Myth Broken... Latest Drugs Boost Survival Rates

2024 European Society for Medical Oncology Closing

Studies Proving 'Long-term Survival' with ADC and Immuno-oncology Drugs Surge
Domestic Reimbursement Still a Challenge

Professor An Myeongju Wins 'Women in Oncology Award'
Yuhan, Hanmi, and Other Korean Companies Also Present Research Results

The 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), held in Barcelona, Spain from the 13th to the 17th (local time), was a conference that gave hope to terminal cancer patients who were once given a 'death sentence.'

On the 13th (local time), participants are entering the venue of the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) event, which opened in Barcelona, Spain.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

Cancer, as it grows, expands its attack range not only to the initially affected organ but also to various other organs. This stage is called 'terminal,' referring to advanced or metastatic cancer. Surgery becomes difficult, and effective drugs become scarce, making treatment increasingly challenging. Even now, with advances in diagnosis and treatment methods that have pushed the 5-year survival rate for most cancer patients above 70%, terminal cancer still often has survival rates that do not exceed half or remain in single digits.

ADC and Immuno-Oncology Drugs Prove '5-Year Survival' Successively

However, at this ESMO, numerous research results showed that with appropriate treatment using the latest drugs such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) and immuno-oncology drugs, terminal cancer patients can also live longer.

Nancy Lin, Deputy Director of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the United States, presented the primary results of the 'DESTINY-Breast12' clinical trial, conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) 'Enhertu' regardless of brain metastasis status in breast cancer patients, at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held in Barcelona, Spain on the 13th (local time).
[Photo by Chunhee Lee]

Enhertu, co-developed by AstraZeneca (AZ) and Daiichi Sankyo and leading the global ADC trend, revealed research demonstrating efficacy regardless of brain metastasis in breast cancer patients. Among metastatic breast cancer patients, 10-15% have cancer that has spread to the brain, and in such cases, half do not survive beyond 8 months.

However, Enhertu helped 90% of breast cancer patients with brain metastases survive for more than one year. Nancy Lin, Deputy Director at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the U.S., who presented the research results, explained, "Brain metastasis greatly affects patients' quality of life and prognosis," adding, "Enhertu showed a high and consistent one-year survival rate regardless of brain metastasis."

Participants are viewing the promotional booths set up by companies at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) event held in Barcelona, Spain.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

AZ also demonstrated extended survival in liver cancer through combination therapy of the dual immuno-oncology drugs Imfinzi and Imjudo. Liver cancer often lacks clear symptoms, leading to late diagnosis and a cure rate of only about 30%. When it progresses to 'distant metastasis,' where cancer spreads to other organs, the 5-year survival rate drops to 3%.

However, the Imfinzi and Imjudo combination therapy enabled 20% of patients to survive more than five years. Immuno-oncology drugs detect the fake passcodes cancer creates to evade the immune system, allowing the immune system to attack cancer normally. This immune system-based treatment is considered relatively safe with fewer side effects, enabling stable treatment. Lorenza Rimassa, Professor of Onco-Hematology at Humanitas University in Italy and lead researcher, emphasized, "We have demonstrated unprecedented long-term survival benefits," calling it "a study that sets a new standard for liver cancer treatment."

Professor Peter Schmidt of the Barts Cancer Institute in London, UK, is presenting the overall survival results of the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-522 study on the third day of the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, on the 15th (local time). The study focuses on neoadjuvant therapy with Keytruda and chemotherapy for high-risk early triple-negative breast cancer, as well as adjuvant therapy after surgery.
[Photo by Chunhee Lee]

MSD's immuno-oncology drug Keytruda, which claimed the title of 'world's top-selling drug' last year, also revealed various research results. In triple-negative breast cancer, which previously had no effective drugs, administering Keytruda before and after surgery resulted in 87% of patients surviving for five years. In terminal stomach cancer patients, adding Keytruda to existing treatments reduced the risk of death by 28% compared to using existing treatments alone.

All these treatments are approved domestically, but only Enhertu is covered by the National Health Insurance. Professor Ra Sun-young of Yonsei Cancer Hospital's Department of Oncology said about Keytruda's breast cancer therapy, "If patients meet the conditions, the drug should be used, but if it is not covered by insurance, patients have to ask if they have private insurance," adding, "If long-term survival results have been demonstrated, there is no reason for it not to be covered."

Professor An Myeongju of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Samsung Seoul Hospital is giving a commemorative lecture for receiving the 'ESMO Women in Oncology Award' at the opening ceremony of the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held in Barcelona, Spain, on the 13th (local time).
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

This ESMO also served as an opportunity to confirm South Korea's position in the global cancer research community. At the opening ceremony on the first day of the event, Professor Ahn Myung-joo of Samsung Seoul Hospital's Department of Hematology and Oncology received the 'ESMO Women in Oncology Award of the Year.' This was the first time a Korean researcher received an award at ESMO. Professor Ahn said in her acceptance speech, "This award signifies the intention to discover, nurture, and support female researchers amid ongoing gender discrimination," adding, "We must overcome such discrimination through collaboration."

In the industry sector, Yuhan Corporation presented research showing that the lung cancer treatment drug Leclaza, recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first domestically developed anticancer drug, is effective even against very rare mutations, suggesting further development possibilities. Additionally, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, Lunit, Tium Bio, ST Pharm, and Abion introduced the status of various pipeline developments.