Latest Oncology and Radiation Oncology research

The 10 most useful oncology and radiation oncology studies published this week, chosen from Q1 journals and graded on the Oxford CEBM evidence hierarchy. Each paper links to a short summary and the original on PubMed. Updated 7 November 2026.

Top 10 this week

Week of 1 November 2026

1
Izalontamab brengitecan versus platinum-based chemotherapy in EGFR-mutated advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer after progression on third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (PANKU-Lung01): a multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial in China
Lancet (London, England) · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 26 October 2026
In a randomized phase 3 trial in China, patients with advanced EGFR-mutated lung cancer had a median 11.1 months without progression on izalontamab brengitecan, versus 5.7 months with platinum-based chemotherapy. Severe treatment-related side effects were more common with the drug, affecting 79% versus 62%; whether it improves overall survival remains an open question.
2
Izalontamab brengitecan for HR+/HER2- breast cancer in China (PANKU-Breast01): a randomised, phase 3 trial
Lancet (London, England) · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 26 October 2026
In a trial of 383 women in China with heavily pretreated hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, izalontamab brengitecan extended median time without progression to 8.2 months, versus 4.0 months with chemotherapy. Severe treatment-related side effects were more common, and two patients died from them; whether the drug extends overall survival remains unknown.
3
14-day versus 28-day trifluridine-tipiracil plus bevacizumab for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (PRABITAS): a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3, non-inferiority trial in Japan
Lancet (London, England) · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 24 October 2026
In 970 patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer, the 14-day trifluridine-tipiracil plus bevacizumab schedule was non-inferior to the 28-day schedule for overall survival, with median survival of 11.3 versus 10.3 months. Severe neutropenia and moderate or worse loss of appetite were less common, although two treatment-related deaths occurred with the shorter schedule; longer follow-up could clarify the balance of benefits and risks.
4
Osimertinib-Savolitinib in Advanced NSCLC after Progression during EGFR-TKI Therapy
The New England journal of medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 25 October 2026
In a randomized trial of 338 patients whose EGFR-mutated advanced lung cancer progressed on osimertinib and had MET overexpression or amplification, adding savolitinib raised 12-month progression-free survival from 10% with platinum-pemetrexed to 36%; 12-month overall survival was 70% versus 53%. Severe side effects were similarly common, but the results apply to this specific biomarker-selected group.
5
Anbenitamab plus HB1801 for HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
The New England journal of medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 24 October 2026
In a phase 3 trial of 885 patients in China, 58.5% of those receiving anbenitamab plus albumin-bound docetaxel were alive without disease progression at 24 months, compared with 34.4% receiving trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and docetaxel. Tumor response was also more frequent, but serious adverse events were more common; longer follow-up will clarify how durable the benefit is.
6
Benmelstobart With or Without Anlotinib After Chemoradiotherapy for Unresectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The R-ALPS Randomized Clinical Trial
JAMA oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 29 October 2026
In this trial of unresectable stage III lung cancer after chemoradiotherapy, median progression-free survival was 15.1 months with benmelstobart plus anlotinib and 9.7 months with benmelstobart alone, versus 4.2 months with placebo. The combination did not significantly outperform benmelstobart alone in the pooled comparison and caused more severe and fatal treatment-related events, leaving its added benefit uncertain.
7
A randomised phase III trial of adjuvant treatment intensification with mFOLFIRINOX versus mFOLFOX6 in high-risk stage III colon cancer: Results of the international IROCAS study
Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 25 October 2026
In 795 patients with high-risk stage III colon cancer, 3-year disease-free survival was 65.6% with mFOLFIRINOX and 66.3% with mFOLFOX6, showing no benefit from the more intensive regimen. Severe side effects overall were similar, but diarrhea and fatigue were more frequent with mFOLFIRINOX; longer follow-up is needed for survival outcomes.
8
KEYNOTE-867: A Phase III, Randomized, Double-Blind Study of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy With Pembrolizumab for Unresected Stage I or II Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 28 October 2026
In 448 people with inoperable early-stage lung cancer or who declined surgery, adding pembrolizumab to stereotactic radiation did not meaningfully improve event-free survival: median results were 31.2 months versus 28.3 months with radiation alone. Severe treatment-related side effects were more common, and five people died from treatment in the pembrolizumab group; the trial was stopped early.
9
Pembrolizumab with or without platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment in advanced NSCLC expressing PD-L1 ≥50%: The PERSEE randomized phase III trial (GFPC 01-2020)
Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 25 October 2026
In a randomized trial of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and high PD-L1 expression, adding platinum-based chemotherapy more than doubled median time before disease progression, from 6.9 to 16.1 months. Median overall survival was 50.2 months with combination treatment and 29.9 months with pembrolizumab alone, but the trial did not establish a survival benefit; severe treatment-related side effects were also more common with chemotherapy.
10
Overall survival from the phase III postMONARCH trial of abemaciclib plus fulvestrant versus placebo plus fulvestrant for HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer following progression on a prior CDK4/6 inhibitor plus endocrine therapy
Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 24 October 2026
Among 368 patients whose advanced breast cancer progressed after prior CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy, median overall survival was 32.1 months with abemaciclib plus fulvestrant versus 24.6 months with fulvestrant alone. The difference was not statistically significant, although progression-free survival and time off chemotherapy also favored abemaciclib; whether it extends life remains uncertain.

Paper of the day, last two weeks

Radiosensitising strategies in locally advanced head and neck cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RADIANCE-NMA)
EClinicalMedicine · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 26 October 2026
In a network analysis of 44 trials involving 13,768 patients, four cisplatin-containing regimens improved overall survival compared with radiotherapy alone. Weekly cisplatin was favored over three-weekly cisplatin in network estimates, but the trials were designed to test non-inferiority and do not rule out equivalent outcomes; severe toxicity was common with weekly treatment, and most trials had some risk-of-bias concerns.
Efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 plus chemotherapy in treatment-naïve advanced HER2-negative gastric adenocarcinoma among different PD-L1 intervals: an updated meta-analysis and reconstructed individual patient-level data analysis
BMC medicine · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 8 August 2026
In a pooled analysis of randomized trials, adding a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor to chemotherapy lowered the risk of death by 33% for patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer whose tumor score was 10 or higher. Overall survival benefit was not clear at lower scores, though progression-free survival and response rates improved in some groups; the strongest evidence supports the 10-or-higher threshold.
Spatial Acid-Associated Niches Inform Irinotecan-Based DEB-TACE in Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Multicentre Randomized Trial
Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 1 December 2026
In a 35-patient randomized trial of unresectable colorectal liver metastases, disease control after the final irinotecan bead treatment was 100% with UniPearls versus 68.75% with HepaSphere among per-protocol patients. Objective response and adverse events were similar, and the apparent superiority depended on assumptions about missing outcomes, so larger studies are needed to confirm the benefit.
Efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy ± bevacizumab for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Frontiers in immunology · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 19 October 2026
Across six randomized trials involving 2,242 patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, adding PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors to chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab, was associated with median survival of 28.7 months versus 19.4 months and progression-free survival of 12.0 versus 8.7 months. Any-grade side effects were similar, but severe side effects increased modestly; longer-term safety and which patients benefit most remain important questions.
Efficacy of immediate radiotherapy versus salvage radiotherapy in patients with de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma responsive to chemoimmunotherapy
ESMO open · Q1 journal · Retrospective cohort · Evidence level 3 (Low) · 30 October 2026
Among patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer who responded to chemoimmunotherapy, 2-year survival was 97% with radiation deferred until local progression and 90% with immediate radiation; the adjusted analysis found no survival disadvantage with deferral. Delayed treatment was linked to poorer control at the original site but fewer radiation-related side effects, and this retrospective study cannot establish which timing is best.
Real-World Evidence of First- or Second-Line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Versus Chemotherapy in Advanced NSCLC: A Prospective Pragmatic Multicenter Korean Study
JTO clinical and research reports · Q1 journal · Prospective cohort · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 21 August 2026
In this Korean real-world study, patients receiving first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor-based treatment had median overall survival of 20.1 months, compared with 9.0 months for chemotherapy; tumor response was also more common. The chemotherapy group was a retrospective historical control, so differences between groups could influence the comparison, and second-line results were less clear.
5-year outcomes of chemotherapy de-escalation in HER2-positive early breast cancer and exploratory circulating tumor DNA analyses from the randomized phase 2 PHERGain trial
Nature medicine · Q1 journal · Phase 2 RCT · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 29 October 2026
After a median 5.6 years, 92.4% of 86 patients who responded on PET and achieved a complete pathologic response without chemotherapy remained free of invasive disease; one had a distant recurrence. This was a selected subgroup, so the result does not prove chemotherapy can safely be omitted; detectable circulating tumor DNA also tracked with worse outcomes and needs further study.
Decitabine plus busulfan-cyclophosphamide versus busulfan-cyclophosphamide myeloablative conditioning before allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for reducing risk of relapse in adult KMT2A‑rearranged leukaemia in China: an open-label, multicentre, randomised phase 3 trial
The Lancet. Haematology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 1 November 2026
In a randomized trial of 130 patients with KMT2A-rearranged leukemia undergoing stem cell transplant, adding decitabine to conditioning reduced 2-year relapse from 29% to 12%. Severe infections, graft-versus-host disease and gastrointestinal events were similar between groups, but the trial was conducted at eight centers in China; whether the benefit holds in other settings remains unknown.
Sacituzumab tirumotecan versus treatment of physician's choice in previously treated endometrial cancer (TroFuse-005/ENGOT-en23/GOG-3095): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial
Lancet (London, England) · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 26 October 2026
In patients whose advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer progressed after chemotherapy and immunotherapy, median overall survival was 19 months with sacituzumab tirumotecan versus 12.1 months with physician's-choice treatment; median time without progression was 7.2 versus 3.9 months. Severe side effects were more common with the drug, affecting 69% versus 57%, so its survival benefit comes with added toxicity.
Tarlatamab-Durvalumab Maintenance for Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer
The New England journal of medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 24 October 2026
In a phase 3 trial, patients whose cancer had not progressed after initial chemoimmunotherapy lived a median 21.1 months with tarlatamab plus durvalumab, versus 12.7 months with durvalumab alone. Progression-free survival also improved, but serious side effects were more common and cytokine release syndrome affected nearly half of combination-treated patients; longer follow-up will clarify durability.
Capivasertib plus abiraterone in PTEN-deficient de novo metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: updated survival analysis from CAPItello-281
Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · Q1 journal · Non-randomized trial · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 23 October 2026
In 1,012 men with newly diagnosed metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer and PTEN-deficient tumors, median overall survival was 57.4 months with capivasertib plus abiraterone, versus 46.5 months with abiraterone alone. The analysis was ad hoc and descriptive, with only 42% of overall-survival data mature, so longer follow-up is needed to clarify the benefit.

Evidence summaries in Oncology and Radiation Oncology

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For healthcare professionals. Summaries are generated by AI from the published abstract and are not medical advice. Read the original paper before changing practice.