ASCO 2026: Five Trends That Caught My Attention

By Vlad Bogin, MD, FACP 
CEO, Cromos Pharma 

ASCO 2026 delivered thousands of abstracts and countless data points. Beyond individual studies, several broader trends stood out to me as particularly important for the future of oncology and clinical development.

Precision Oncology Is Becoming More Precise

The industry is moving beyond identifying who should receive a treatment and toward determining who may safely avoid it. 

The OPTIMA study demonstrated that genomic profiling may help thousands of breast cancer patients avoid chemotherapy without compromising outcomes. At the same time, studies such as Talapro-3 and LIBRETTO-432 reinforced the growing importance of biomarker-driven patient selection across prostate and lung cancer. 

Takeaway: The future of oncology will depend increasingly on smarter patient selection, not simply more treatment.

ADCs and Bispecific Antibodies Are Reshaping the Competitive Landscape

Some of the most impressive data at ASCO 2026 came from antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies. 

Highlights included: 

• Sac-TMT plus pembrolizumab reduced the risk of progression by 65% in first-line NSCLC. 

• Ivonescimab achieved the first overall survival benefit over a PD-1 plus chemotherapy regimen in first-line squamous NSCLC. 

• Multiple next-generation ADCs demonstrated encouraging activity in ovarian, bladder, and other difficult-to-treat cancers. 

Takeaway: The next wave of oncology innovation is increasingly being driven by platform technologies rather than single molecules.

China Has Become a Global Innovation Engine

One of the most striking observations from ASCO 2026 was the growing influence of Chinese biotech. 

Beyond individual headline studies, ASCO 2026 highlighted the growing depth of China’s oncology pipeline. Programs from companies such as Dizal, Akeso, and multiple emerging China-originated oncology platforms are increasingly competing not as regional assets, but as globally relevant innovation programs. 

Takeaway: China is no longer simply a large clinical trial market. It is increasingly becoming a source of breakthrough oncology innovation.

Cell Therapy Is Entering a New Phase

For years, the industry’s primary challenge was proving that CAR-T works. Today, the focus is shifting toward scalability and accessibility. 

Early data from in vivo CAR-T programs such as Kelonia’s KLN-1010, alongside next-generation off-the-shelf platforms, suggest the field is increasingly focused on overcoming the manufacturing, scalability, and access challenges that have historically limited broader CAR-T adoption. 

Takeaway: The next major advances in cell therapy may come not only from better science, but from better delivery models.

Oncology Is Expanding Beyond Tumor Biology

One of the most discussed studies at ASCO 2026 was not focused on a cancer drug. A large real-world analysis involving more than 12,000 patients suggested that GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with substantially lower rates of metastatic progression across several obesity-related cancers, including lung, breast, colorectal, and liver cancer. 

While these findings remain observational, they highlight a growing focus on metabolism, obesity, survivorship, and long-term patient health. 

Takeaway: Future oncology strategies may increasingly integrate metabolic health alongside traditional cancer treatment approaches. 

Final Thought 

After several days at ASCO 2026, I came away with a renewed appreciation for how rapidly oncology is evolving. Precision medicine, advanced diagnostics, next-generation biologics, cell therapy, and metabolic health are beginning to converge in ways that were difficult to imagine just a few years ago. 

The most successful development programs will combine scientific innovation with the ability to identify the right patients, generate high-quality evidence, and bring new treatment options to patients efficiently. 

That combination will shape the next chapter of oncology research.