Practice-Changing Data, Innovative Modalities, and Global Impact Headline ASCO 2025
The oncology community is converging in Chicago this week for the highly anticipated 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), with excitement mounting over groundbreaking research that could reshape treatment paradigms for multiple cancer types—including breast and blood cancers, melanoma, gastric, prostate, and lung malignancies.
Running from May 30 through June 3 at McCormick Place Convention Center, ASCO 2025 is poised to showcase several plenary and late-breaking presentations that industry insiders and academic oncologists believe will influence future standards of care and accelerate innovation across the global cancer treatment landscape.
“This year’s meeting features several pivotal breast cancer trials that signal major progress in how we conceptualize and treat disease resistance,” said Dr. Jason Mouabbi, assistant professor of Breast Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “It’s an exciting moment, particularly for hormone receptor-positive patients who often face limited options upon resistance.”
Similarly, the field of hematologic malignancies will be prominently featured at ASCO 2025, with new data expected to advance the conversation around precision diagnostics and next-generation biologics. Dr. Lore Gruenbaum, Chief Scientific Officer at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, highlighted her enthusiasm for the meeting’s emphasis on minimal residual disease (MRD) testing in multiple myeloma, which she called “a transformative development.”
“MRD testing is set to significantly alter how we evaluate novel agents,” said Gruenbaum. “Not only can it shorten the timeline for clinical development, but it may also allow regulators and clinicians to make better-informed decisions earlier in the treatment cycle.”
Breast and Blood Cancer Breakthroughs
Among the most talked-about presentations heading into ASCO 2025 are several late-stage trials targeting breast and blood cancers. These include data sets that experts say could usher in a new era of personalized therapy, particularly for patient populations that have historically lacked durable responses.
In hematologic malignancies, Takeda and Protagonist Therapeutics are drawing attention with rusfertide, a first-in-class hepcidin mimetic under development for polycythemia vera (PV), a rare blood cancer characterized by overproduction of red blood cells. Rusfertide’s mechanism is unique—it mimics the action of hepcidin, a natural regulator of iron metabolism, potentially eliminating the need for frequent phlebotomies.
Earlier this year, the companies shared topline results from the Phase III VERIFY study, which achieved its primary endpoint with a 77% response rate for rusfertide compared to 33% for placebo. Additional secondary endpoints—including reductions in phlebotomy frequency, improved hematocrit control, and enhanced patient-reported outcomes—suggest broad clinical utility.
Although full data have yet to be disclosed, the trial’s plenary selection at ASCO signals its potential to redefine care for PV. “If these results hold up in the detailed presentation, we’re likely looking at a practice-changing therapy,” Gruenbaum noted. “Improved quality of life metrics could be especially compelling.”
In breast cancer, the spotlight is on AstraZeneca’s camizestrant, an oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) being tested in the Phase III SERENA-6 study. The trial evaluates camizestrant in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who harbor ESR1 mutations. These mutations often drive endocrine resistance, limiting options for disease control.
According to Mouabbi, the SERENA-6 results could shift the standard of care. “This is the first study to show statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival in this setting without requiring radiographic progression,” he said. “That’s a major shift—it allows us to act on molecular progression rather than waiting for clinical deterioration.”
Also from AstraZeneca, the DESTINY-Breast09 trial is generating buzz. This Phase III study evaluates Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) co-developed with Daiichi Sankyo, in combination with or without Roche’s Perjeta (pertuzumab) as a first-line treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Topline results released in April showed significant improvements in progression-free survival, and the full data release at ASCO is expected to confirm Enhertu’s emergence as a less toxic, more effective option than traditional chemotherapy-heavy regimens.
Other notable studies include Gilead and Merck’s ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19, combining the TROP2-directed ADC Trodelvy with the PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda, and Pfizer and Arvinas’ VERITAC-2, which assesses the investigational PROTAC degrader vepdegestrant. Though the latter delivered mixed results in earlier readouts, the ASCO presentation will help clarify its future trajectory.
Novel Modalities: Bispecifics, Trispecifics, and Radiopharmaceuticals
Beyond individual trials, ASCO 2025 is set to highlight broader advances in drug modality and mechanism—particularly bispecific and trispecific antibodies, as well as radiopharmaceuticals.
Dr. Scott Kopetz, professor of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at MD Anderson, sees a new frontier opening for “cold tumors”—tumors that traditionally do not elicit strong immune responses and have resisted checkpoint inhibition. “Bispecific antibodies targeting VEGF pathways could double as anti-angiogenic and immune-modulating agents,” Kopetz explained. “We’re entering an era where these constructs may finally give us an immunotherapeutic foothold in cancers like castration-resistant prostate cancer and gallbladder carcinoma.”
Gruenbaum echoed the excitement on the hematologic front, pointing to trispecific antibodies targeting multiple antigens in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Two early-stage therapies—Johnson & Johnson’s JNJ-5322 and Ichnos Glenmark Innovation’s ISB-2001—will be featured at ASCO, each designed to recruit T cells with heightened specificity and potency.
“These multi-specifics represent a logical evolution of immunotherapy,” Gruenbaum said. “They allow us to fine-tune immune engagement and may reduce the risk of resistance or relapse.”
Meanwhile, radiopharmaceuticals are also gaining momentum. Dr. David Piwnica-Worms, chair of Cancer Systems Imaging at MD Anderson, cited two emerging trends: the use of radiotracers for early disease detection and the identification of novel isotopes for targeted therapy. “This is a transformative moment for radiopharma,” he said. “New isotopes and more precise targeting strategies are expanding the field in ways we haven’t seen in decades.”
China’s Expanding Role on the Global Oncology Stage
One of the most intriguing undercurrents at ASCO 2025 is the growing presence of Chinese biotech innovation. According to a recent investor note from Truist Securities, nearly one-third of all ASCO abstracts involve assets originating from Chinese companies—a statistic that underscores the country’s maturation from generic manufacturer to innovation powerhouse.
Dr. Christiana Bardon, co-managing partner at biotech investment firm MPM BioImpact, believes this transition is already bearing fruit. “Historically, Chinese firms focused on ‘fast-follower’ strategies,” she said. “But now they’re producing first-in-class, disruptive therapies that are forcing the rest of the world to take notice.”
Among these, Bardon highlighted ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody developed by Akeso and licensed by Summit Therapeutics. “This asset could seriously challenge Keytruda’s dominance in the checkpoint inhibitor space,” Bardon explained, pointing to a wave of Big Pharma licensing deals with Chinese innovators—Pfizer, BioNTech, and Merck among them—as evidence of a shifting landscape.
Dr. Paul Moore, Chief Scientific Officer at Zymeworks, sees this increased competition as a net positive for global innovation. “A more competitive environment will force companies to be more strategic, efficient, and differentiated in how they develop therapies,” he said. “It’s not just about moving fast anymore—it’s about moving smart.”
Moore urged companies to build portfolios that reflect deep biological insights and therapeutic precision. “Thoughtful trial design, biologically sound targets, and mechanisms with real clinical relevance will be the hallmarks of successful programs in this new era.”Looking Ahead
ASCO 2025 is more than a showcase for the latest data—it is a reflection of the oncology field’s accelerating shift toward molecular precision, therapeutic diversity, and global collaboration. As Mouabbi, Gruenbaum, and others note, the data emerging from this year’s meeting have the potential to reshape treatment algorithms, elevate patient care, and challenge industry norms.
Whether through transformative diagnostics like MRD testing, pioneering modalities such as trispecific antibodies, or a deepening international research pipeline led in part by China, ASCO 2025 affirms one unshakable truth: the future of cancer care is already here—and it is evolving faster than ever.
