Held this year in Berlin from October 17 to 21, the Congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) is a major global event in cancer research, bringing together more than 31,000 international experts over five days. The latest therapeutic advances in the fight against cancer will be discussed, including the results of numerous clinical trials set to transform the management of thousands of patients.

Once again, this year, the expertise of Gustave Roussy’s physician-scientists is recognised at the ESMO Congress. Sixty scientific studies will be presented by experts from the Institute, covering a wide range of topics, from resistance mechanisms in innovative therapies to gender equality issues in oncology. Professor Fabrice André, Director of Research at Gustave Roussy and President of ESMO, will deliver the opening address of the congress on Friday, 17 October. 

Gustave Roussy presentations

In proffered paper sessions:

• Researcher Myriam Ben Khelil will present the results of a study dedicated to understanding resistance mechanisms to CAR-T cell therapy in patients with B-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. In half of all cases, CAR-T cell treatment fails to control the disease. The work presented at ESMO contributes to elucidating how CAR-T cells function, to develop new strategies for patients who relapse. Sunday 19 October.
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• Dr Alexandre Xu-Vuillard will present a large retrospective analysis of 40 years of clinical trials that evaluated pharmacological treatments for cancer prevention. This analysis seeks to draw lessons from past studies to inform future therapeutic approaches. Saturday 18 October.
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In addition, four studies by Gustave Roussy researchers will be presented as mini-oral communications, and 53 as posters.

Finally, Prof Yohann Loriot is co-author of a study selected for a presidential session, dedicated to a new therapeutic combination tested before and after surgery in patients with invasive bladder cancer who are ineligible for standard chemotherapy.

Session co-chairs

Gustave Roussy physician-scientists are also actively involved in this year’s ESMO Congress as co-chairs of Presidential, oral, and educational sessions:

• Prof Fabrice André will co-chair the Congress’s second presidential session.
• Dr Stéphane de Botton will co-chair the oral session devoted to haematological cancers.
• Dr Julien Vibert will co-chair the oral session on artificial intelligence and digital oncology.
• Dr Félix Blanc-Durand will co-chair the educational session on molecular therapeutic approaches in endometrial cancers.
• Researcher Elsa Bernard will co-chair an educational session on the early stages of blood cancers.
• Dr Camille Bigenwald will co-chair an educational session on resistance to CAR-T cell therapies.

Awards

Each year, ESMO awards several Merit Travel Grants to young scientists who are first authors of studies “considered to be deserving of recognition.” Among this year’s recipients are several researchers from Gustave Roussy:

• Dr Cinzia Ungolo, for her mini-oral exploring how certain stomach medications can affect the efficacy of immunotherapy in lung and kidney cancers.
• Dr Alexandre Xu-Vuillard, for his oral presentation retracing 40 years of clinical trials dedicated to cancer prevention.
• Dr Chayma Bousrih, for her poster analysing the consequences of omitting hormonal treatment in breast cancer patients with low hormone receptor expression.
• Dr Federica Giugliano, for her poster examining the factors that make certain metastatic breast cancers resistant to trastuzumab deruxtecan.