AACR 2025: Groundbreaking Cancer Treatments Take Center Stage

The American Association for Cancer Research's (AACR) annual conference is underway, showcasing potentially practice-changing data in head and neck and lung cancer, along with key updates on emerging treatment modalities. This year's event has already delivered significant developments from pharmaceutical giants GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim, setting the stage for transformative advances in oncology.

GSK's Jemperli: A Surgical Alternative for dMMR Cancers

GSK's PD-1 inhibitor Jemperli (dostarlimab) has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in eliminating the need for surgery in patients with locally advanced, mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) cancers. Phase II results, published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that Jemperli can trigger complete tumor clearance across various tumor types.

The study, involving 103 patients with stage II-III resectable dMMR cancers, showed impressive outcomes:

• All 49 patients with rectal cancer achieved a clinical complete response and opted to forego surgery.
• 37 of these patients maintained their response through 12 months of follow-up.
• Among 54 patients with nonrectal solid tumors (including gastroesophageal and genitourinary cancers), 35 reached clinical complete response.
• Overall, 84 patients across both cohorts achieved complete response, with 82 deciding to skip surgery.

These results suggest that Jemperli could revolutionize treatment approaches for dMMR cancers, potentially sparing patients from invasive surgical procedures.

Boehringer Ingelheim's Zongertinib: Promising Results in NSCLC

Boehringer Ingelheim's investigational HER2 tyrosine kinase blocker, zongertinib, has shown robust efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with HER2 mutations. The Phase III Beamion LUNG-1 trial reported a 71% objective response rate in this patient population.

Key findings from the trial include:

• 7% of patients achieved complete treatment response.
• 64% of patients showed partial response.
• The disease control rate reached 96%.
• Median progression-free survival was 12.4 months.

Notably, zongertinib also demonstrated intracranial activity in 27 previously-treated patients with brain metastasis, achieving a 41% response rate and an 81% disease control rate in this subgroup.

The drug's safety profile was favorable, with no drug-related instances of interstitial lung disease, cardiotoxicity, or deaths. The most common side effect was diarrhea, and adverse events of grade 3 or higher were infrequent.

Boehringer Ingelheim filed its drug application for zongertinib in February, receiving the FDA's Priority Review designation. A decision is anticipated in the third quarter of this year.

AACR Leadership Addresses Political Climate

In an unusual move, AACR CEO Margaret Foti used the conference's opening ceremony to criticize the Trump administration's science and health policy decisions since January. This rare political statement from the organization's leadership underscores the growing concerns within the scientific community about the current administration's approach to research and healthcare policy.

As the AACR conference continues, the pharmaceutical industry eagerly anticipates further groundbreaking announcements and data presentations that could shape the future of cancer treatment and research.