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 22 September 2026.

Top 10 this week

Week of 20 September 2026

1
Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy as first-line therapy for advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: 4.5-year follow-up from the randomized phase III KEYNOTE-859 study
ESMO open · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 16 September 2026
After 4½ years of follow-up, first-line pembrolizumab with chemotherapy extended median overall survival to 12.9 months versus 11.5 months with chemotherapy alone, a 22% reduction in death risk. Benefit was seen across all PD-L1 levels, though severe treatment-related adverse events were slightly more common, leaving the magnitude of clinical impact under discussion.
2
Summary of Research: HER2CLIMB-05: A Phase III Study of Tucatinib Versus Placebo in Combination with Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab as First-Line Maintenance Therapy for HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer
Targeted oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 19 September 2026
In the phase III HER2CLIMB-05 trial, adding tucatinib to trastuzumab-pertuzumab after induction chemotherapy lengthened median progression-free survival to 24.9 months versus 16.3 months with placebo. Toxicities were as expected and manageable, suggesting tucatinib-based maintenance is a strong new option, though overall survival and long-term safety remain to be clarified.
3
Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by pembrolizumab in participants in Asia with early triple-negative breast cancer: An updated subgroup analysis of the KEYNOTE-522 randomized clinical trial
Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland) · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 18 August 2026
In the Asian cohort of KEYNOTE-522, adding pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy reduced five-year death rates from 20% to about 9% and boosted five-year event-free survival from 72% to 87%. Benefits matched the global trial, though modestly higher discontinuation from immune-related side effects was noted.
4
Blinatumomab for Replacing Chemotherapy in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
The New England journal of medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 17 September 2026
In a randomized trial of 709 children with high-risk B-cell ALL, replacing two chemotherapy cycles with blinatumomab raised 4-year event-free survival to 83% compared with 70% for standard therapy. Infections fell dramatically (24% vs 69%), but neuro-toxic events were three times more common. Long-term safety and optimal integration into treatment regimens remain to be defined.
5
A Multicenter Randomized Phase III Trial Comparing MET Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors vs. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors With or Without Chemotherapy as First-Line Treatment for Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Harboring MET Exon 14 Skipping Mutations: JCOG2506 (DECIDE-MET)
Clinical lung cancer · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 20 August 2026
An open-label, multicenter randomized study will enroll 100 treatment-naïve adults with advanced MET exon 14-skipping lung cancer, assigning them to either tepotinib or capmatinib versus pembrolizumab alone (PD-L1 at least 50%) or pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (PD-L1 <50%). Overall survival is the primary endpoint, aiming to resolve which first-line strategy offers better efficacy and tolerability.
6
Statins use and prognosis in lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: evidence from a meta-analysis
Frontiers in immunology · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 1 September 2026
A meta-analysis of 12 retrospective studies (5,156 patients) found that taking statins was linked to a 24% lower overall mortality and an 18% reduction in disease progression among those treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The benefit persisted after multivariate adjustment but was not seen in unadjusted or very large cohorts, and the evidence remains limited to observational data, prompting a call for prospective trials.
7
Assessing the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with T3N0 gastric cancer
European journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 10 September 2026
In a retrospective cohort of 386 T3N0 patients, five-year overall survival was 93% with chemotherapy versus 91% with surgery alone, and relapse-free survival was similarly close. After statistical adjustment, chemotherapy showed no significant reduction in death or recurrence, leaving its routine use in this stage uncertain.
8
PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Frontiers in medicine · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 3 September 2026
A meta-analysis of five randomized trials (about 2,000 patients) found that adding PD-1/PD-L1 blockade to first-line chemotherapy reduced overall mortality by roughly one-fifth and improved progression-free survival and response rates, without raising severe toxicity. Retrospective data showed even larger benefits, but prospective confirmation in broader populations is still needed.
9
Overall survival with immune checkpoint inhibitors across treatment settings and clinical and PD-L1-defined subgroups in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials
Frontiers in immunology · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 3 September 2026
In pooled analyses of 14 randomized trials, adding immune-checkpoint inhibitors to therapy lowered overall-mortality by roughly one-third in both first-line (30% reduction) and later-line (26% reduction) settings for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. No clinical or PD-L1 subgroup consistently altered this benefit, and the predominantly Asian data limit broader applicability.
10
Chemotherapy Backbone and Outcomes of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Combinations Across Solid Tumors: A Pan-Tumor Network Meta-Analysis
The oncologist · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 17 September 2026
A network meta-analysis of 39 randomized trials (over 30,000 patients) found that adding immune checkpoint inhibitors to chemotherapy improved progression-free survival by roughly 30% and overall survival by about 20%, with the platinum-pemetrexed backbone delivering the largest survival gain (about a one-third reduction in death risk).

Paper of the day, last two weeks

Immunotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma With PD-L1 Combined Positive Score Less Than 1: A Bayesian Meta-Analysis
JAMA oncology · Q1 journal · SR of cohorts · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 17 September 2026
A Bayesian meta-analysis of seven phase-3 trials (630 patients) found that immune checkpoint inhibitors increased the risk of death by about 40% (hazard ratio ~1.4) in recurrent/metastatic head-neck squamous cell carcinoma with PD-L1 CPS < 1, with a >95% probability the effect is harmful. Similar trends were seen for disease-free outcomes, urging caution and validation before routine use.
Adjuvant pembrolizumab plus belzutifan versus placebo in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a reconstructed survival data analysis of the KEYNOTE-564 and the LITESPARK-022 trials
ESMO open · Q1 journal · Non-randomized trial · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 11 September 2026
An analysis combining reconstructed data from the KEYNOTE-564 and LITESPARK-022 trials found that adding belzutifan to pembrolizumab after nephrectomy reduced disease-free survival events by about half compared with placebo. Early overall-survival signals also favored the combination, but follow-up remains limited, so longer data are needed before routine adoption.
Datopotamab deruxtecan versus chemotherapy in previously treated inoperable/metastatic hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer: results from the TROPION-Breast01 China cohort
ESMO open · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 11 September 2026
In 83 Chinese patients with previously treated metastatic HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, the antibody-drug conjugate extended median progression-free survival to 8.1 months compared with 4.2 months on standard chemotherapy, while severe treatment-related side effects occurred in about 30% versus 58% with chemo. The results support Dato-DXd as a viable new option, though overall survival benefit remains unproven.
Trastuzumab Botidotin Versus Trastuzumab Emtansine in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer: A Phase III, Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 11 September 2026
In a phase III trial of 365 Chinese patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane, trastuzumab botidotin extended median progression-free survival to 11.1 months, compared with 4.4 months for trastuzumab emtansine, and raised response rates from 53% to 77%. Toxicities differed, with more severe eye events but fewer pulmonary and hepatic problems, and overall survival data remain immature.
Osimertinib After Definitive Chemoradiotherapy in Unresectable Stage III EGFR-Mutated NSCLC: Subsequent Treatments and PPO From the Phase III LAURA Study
Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · Q1 journal · Non-randomized trial · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 9 September 2026
In the LAURA trial, patients receiving osimertinib after chemoradiotherapy started their first subsequent treatment far later than those on placebo, with an 87% lower risk of needing another systemic therapy. Benefits also extended to second-line progression-free survival and time to second subsequent treatment, and a trend toward overall-survival improvement was observed.
Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy for Cervical Cancer: An Exploratory Analysis of the KEYNOTE-826 Randomized Clinical Trial
JAMA oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 10 September 2026
In a 5-year follow-up of the KEYNOTE-826 trial, adding pembrolizumab to platinum-based chemotherapy (with or without bevacizumab) extended median overall survival to about 29 months versus 17 months with chemotherapy alone, and also lengthened progression-free survival. No new safety concerns emerged, supporting the regimen as a new first-line standard for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.
Perioperative immunochemotherapy for resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer: a meta-analysis of efficacy and safety from randomized trials
Frontiers in immunology · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 25 August 2026
A meta-analysis of seven randomized trials (3,252 patients) found that adding immune checkpoint inhibitors to chemotherapy before surgery increased the complete tumor disappearance rate by almost threefold and improved event-free survival by about a quarter and overall survival by roughly 20%. R0 resection rates and serious toxicity were unchanged, but longer follow-up is still needed.
Chemotherapy with or without pembrolizumab followed by maintenance pembrolizumab with or without olaparib as first-line treatment of patients with advanced BRCA non-mutated epithelial ovarian cancer (ENGOT-OV43/GOG-3036/KEYLYNK-001): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial
The Lancet. Oncology · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 7 September 2026
In a phase 3 trial of 1,367 patients with advanced BRCA-non-mutated epithelial ovarian cancer, adding pembrolizumab to chemotherapy and continuing with pembrolizumab-olaparib maintenance lowered the chance of disease progression by about 30% compared with chemotherapy alone. Grade 3 or higher side effects were more common, and pembrolizumab without olaparib showed no clear 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.