Bispecific Antibodies and Breast Cancer Treatments Headline ASCO 2025, Amid Funding Concerns

The American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) 2025 annual meeting showcased groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment, particularly in breast cancer therapies and bispecific antibodies. However, these promising developments were overshadowed by growing concerns over potential cuts to U.S. science funding.

Breast Cancer Breakthroughs: New Options and Challenges

This year's ASCO meeting highlighted significant progress in breast cancer treatment across various subtypes. Enhertu, an antibody-drug conjugate from Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca, demonstrated potential for first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. However, its powerful efficacy comes with the risk of serious side effects, which may influence adoption rates.

For estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, vepdegestrant showed promise, particularly in patients with ESR1 mutations. While its efficacy was limited to this subgroup, the oral administration offers quality-of-life benefits over intramuscular injections. Another drug, camizestrant, proved effective in sustaining benefits of first-line therapy but may require wider adoption of blood tests to monitor ESR1 mutations.

Dr. Nancy Chan from NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center noted, "Across the board, we have practice changing data that were presented for every sub-type of breast cancer, which is really exciting."

Bispecific Antibodies: Promise and Precautions

Bispecific antibodies have rapidly become a standard part of cancer treatment, expanding from late-stage blood cancers to earlier-stage tumors. However, their use comes with challenges, particularly in managing immune-related side effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS).

Amgen's lung cancer drug Imdelltra, for instance, showed CRS in over half of study participants and ICANS in about one in seven patients. To address these concerns, some institutions are exploring outpatient management strategies, including patient monitoring tools and the use of steroids to mitigate immune responses.

Dr. Melissa Johnson from Sarah Cannon Research Institute emphasized the need for proactive management: "There are more bispecifics coming in solid tumor oncology. So we have to grapple with these things now so that we'll be able to give bispecifics for our prostate cancer patients and our breast cancer patients, where the CRS events may be more significant."

Funding Cuts Cast Shadow Over Scientific Progress

Despite the exciting advancements presented at ASCO, the specter of potential cuts to U.S. science funding loomed large. The Trump administration's proposed reductions in funding for the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute could significantly impact future cancer research.

ASCO CEO Clifford Hudis addressed this concern in the meeting's opening session, stating, "We find ourselves in a tragic paradox. We are living in a time of unprecedented scientific opportunity, yet we are facing historic reductions in the very resources we need to turn these opportunities into hope for millions of patients counting on us."

Researchers are already feeling the effects of decreased funding, particularly in areas focused on women's health. Dr. Chan noted, "Across the board, we definitely are seeing a decrease in oncology funding for new ideas and new concepts, both at the clinical level and also at the translational basic sciences level. I think that will have a long-term impact."

As the oncology community celebrates its latest achievements, it must also grapple with the challenge of sustaining progress in an uncertain funding environment. The juxtaposition of groundbreaking treatments and looming budget cuts underscores the critical importance of continued investment in cancer research.