Program notes — ASCO 2026¶
Internal pre-meeting working file. Tracks, plenary preview, expected LBAs, discussant watch list, key dates. Status: 3 weeks pre-meeting (as of May 11, 2026). Anything not embargo-lifted is flagged.
Key dates¶
| Date | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2026 | Abstract titles released | 10:00 AM ET — included LBA titles (no body) |
| May 21, 2026 | Regular abstract embargo lifts | 5:00 PM ET — ~7,000 abstracts go public on asco.org/abstracts |
| May 29, 2026 (Fri) | Meeting opens — Education Day | First-day oral sessions begin; some LBAs released morning of (e.g., LBA8500 WU-KONG28) |
| May 30, 2026 (Sat) | Opening Session | Presidential Address + Karnofsky Award & Lecture. First major oral sessions (frontMIND lymphoma 1L DLBCL slot) |
| May 31, 2026 (Sun) | PLENARY SESSION | The practice-changing slot. LBA1–LBA6 release 7:00 AM CT morning of. Discussant panels follow each LBA. |
| Jun 1, 2026 (Mon) | Day 4 | OptimUM-02 LBA9503 melanoma; ALCHEMIST EA5142 lung adjuvant; TRIPLEX SCLC |
| Jun 2, 2026 (Tue) | Closing | Final oral sessions; some late-track readouts |
| Jun 3, 2026 onward | Post-meeting recap window | ASCO Daily News issue; The ASCO Post weekly recaps run through August |
Sources: ASCO Dates to Know, Abstract Policies FAQ.
Plenary Session — Sunday May 31, 2026¶
The Plenary is the practice-changing slot. ASCO 2026 features 5 confirmed LBAs + 1 TBD (the slate per the Aug 2025 → April 2026 abstract-acceptance and topline-disclosure cycle). All times released 7:00 AM CT morning of presentation; presentations begin ~2:00 PM CT, Hall B1.
| # | Trial | Drug / regimen | Indication | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LBA1 | PROTEUS | Apalutamide + ADT vs ADT (perioperative) | High-risk localized prostate (HRLPC) | J&J | Expected; readout long-delayed from 2024 |
| LBA2 | SARC041 | Abemaciclib vs placebo | Advanced dedifferentiated liposarcoma | Lilly | Expected; no topline yet |
| LBA3 | LIBRETTO-432 | Adjuvant selpercatinib (Retevmo) | Stage IB–IIIA RET-fusion+ NSCLC | Lilly (Loxo) | EFS positive per Lilly topline Feb 2026 |
| LBA4 | HARMONi-6 | Ivonescimab + chemo vs tislelizumab + chemo | 1L advanced squamous NSCLC | Akeso / Summit | PFS positive ESMO 2025; OS the watched endpoint |
| LBA5 | Rasolute-302 | Daraxonrasib (pan-RAS) | 2L pancreatic PDAC, RAS-mut | Revolution Medicines | mOS 13.2 vs 6.7 mo (HR 0.40, p<0.0001), per April 13, 2026 topline. The headline of the meeting if it holds. |
| LBA6 | TBD | — | — | — | Slot reserved; ASCO has historically added a 6th LBA close to date |
Discussant watch list: Plenary discussants are usually announced ~10–14 days pre-meeting (so ~May 18–21). Track on asco.org/annual-meeting/program. Plenary discussant identity is itself a signal — ASCO assigns the senior-most figure in the relevant disease group, and their framing typically defines the post-meeting narrative for 6–12 months. Pre-meeting flag: the discussant slot for LBA5 daraxonrasib is the one to watch — the trial will redefine RAS-targeted therapy if the toxicity / G12-subgroup pieces hold, and the discussant will set the bar.
All pre-embargo numbers above are reconstructed from company topline press releases + analyst previews (ApexOnco, OncLive, Targeted Oncology). To be reconciled with full presentation data on May 31.
Track shortlist — most-loaded tracks¶
ASCO 2026 lists 23 oral abstract sessions; the following tracks are expected to dominate by abstract count and discussant attention:
GI Oncology¶
- Pancreatic: Daraxonrasib LBA5 is the event. Plus KRAS-G12D early-phase combos (RMC-9805 / inhibitor + degrader combos previewed at ASCO GI Jan 2026).
- CRC: BREAKWATER follow-up (encorafenib + cetuximab + FOLFIRI in BRAF-V600E mCRC, mOS 30.3 vs 15.1 mo presented at GI in Jan); amivantamab OrigAMI-1 durability data; ctDNA-guided adjuvant trials.
- Gastric/GEJ: HERIZON-GEA-01 follow-up (zanidatamab + chemo ± tislelizumab vs trastuzumab + chemo — practice-changing at GI 2026); HER2-ADC updates.
GU Oncology¶
- Prostate: PROTEUS LBA1 (perioperative apalutamide); PEACE-3 follow-up (enza + Ra-223); first-in-human actinium-225 PSMA (Fred Saad).
- RCC: LITESPARK-022 (adjuvant pembro + belzutifan, DFS positive); LITESPARK-011 (belzutifan + lenva vs cabo, 2L+); CheckMate adjuvant updates.
- Bladder: KEYNOTE-B15 (perioperative EV + pembro vs gem/cis — practice-changing MIBC); SWOG S-1602 BCG strain (Tokyo-172 noninferiority for NMIBC).
Lung¶
- NSCLC adjuvant / perioperative: LIBRETTO-432 LBA3 (RET+, EFS), ALCHEMIST EA5142 (Abstract 8000, adjuvant nivo), CROWN 7-yr (Abstract 8502).
- NSCLC 1L: HARMONi-6 LBA4 (ivonescimab squamous), WU-KONG28 LBA8500 (sunvozertinib EGFR exon20), TRITON Abstract 8515 (STK11/KEAP1/KRAS IO-cold subset).
- SCLC: TRIPLEX LBA8005 (TRT + chemo-IO); DAREON-5 obrixtamig DLL3 bispecific.
Breast¶
- HR+/HER2-: persevERA LBA1006 (giredestrant + palbo missed primary — preserves SOC), SERENA-6 PFS2 LBA1007 (camizestrant switch design follow-up).
- TNBC: ASCENT-04 PFS2 LBA1000 (sacituzumab govitecan + pembro 1L).
- HER2+: KN026-004 LBA660 (anbenitamab + nab-doc neoadj, China).
Hematologic malignancies¶
- Lymphoma: frontMIND LBA7000 (tafasitamab + lena + R-CHOP, 1L DLBCL high-IPI — PFS positive HR 0.75).
- Myeloma: MajesTEC-3 follow-up (teclistamab + dara, 1–3L MM); RedirecTT-1 (talquetamab + teclistamab, EMD); CAR-T sequencing real-world data.
- AML / MDS: menin inhibitors (revumenib, ziftomenib post-ASH approvals); FLT3 / IDH updates.
Melanoma¶
- OptimUM-02 LBA9503 — IDEAYA / Servier darovasertib + crizotinib in 1L HLA-A02:01-neg metastatic uveal melanoma. PFS 6.9 vs 3.1 mo (HR 0.42, p<0.0001), ORR 37% vs 6%. Marlana Orloff presenting. NDA H2 2026.* First effective 1L regimen for mUM. Per IDEAYA April 21 release.
Other tracks of interest¶
- Sarcoma: SARC041 LBA2 (abemaciclib, dediff liposarcoma).
- GYN: ovarian PARP / IO updates; endometrial dostarlimab / pembro follow-up.
- Symptom science / GLP-1s: ASCO press preview flagged GLP-1s in oncology and exercise / lifestyle research as 2026 emphasis areas.
Expected LBAs — preview shortlist¶
LBA numbering at ASCO 2026 (per OncLive / Targeted Oncology / ApexOnco previews and company press releases — all subject to embargo until 7:00 AM CT day of presentation):
| LBA # | Trial / topic | Source |
|---|---|---|
| LBA1 | PROTEUS (apalutamide perioperative prostate) | ASCO Plenary slate (analyst-reconstructed) |
| LBA2 | SARC041 (abemaciclib dediff liposarcoma) | ApexOnco preview |
| LBA3 | LIBRETTO-432 (selpercatinib adjuvant RET+ NSCLC) | Lilly topline Feb 2026 |
| LBA4 | HARMONi-6 (ivonescimab 1L squamous NSCLC) | Akeso/Summit topline; ESMO 2025 PFS |
| LBA5 | Rasolute-302 (daraxonrasib 2L PDAC) | Revolution Medicines topline Apr 13, 2026 |
| LBA660 | KN026-004 (anbenitamab + nab-doc, HER2+ EBC) | Akeso/Hansoh press release |
| LBA1000 | ASCENT-04 PFS2 (sacituzumab + pembro TNBC) | OncLive breast cancer poll |
| LBA1006 | persevERA BC (giredestrant + palbo, missed) | Roche topline Mar 2026 |
| LBA1007 | SERENA-6 PFS2 (camizestrant switch design) | OncLive breast cancer poll |
| LBA3 | LIBRETTO-432 (also listed in lung) | (Plenary; same as above) |
| LBA7000 | frontMIND (tafasitamab + lena + R-CHOP DLBCL) | Incyte topline Jan 2026 |
| LBA8005 | TRIPLEX (TRT + chemo-IO ES-SCLC) | OncLive lung poll |
| LBA8500 | WU-KONG28 (sunvozertinib 1L EGFRex20) | Dizal press; OncLive lung poll |
| LBA9503 | OptimUM-02 (darovasertib + crizotinib mUM) | IDEAYA Apr 21, 2026 release |
This list is not exhaustive — ASCO 2026 will have 100+ LBAs. The pre-meeting shortlist captures the ones with company toplines or named LBA slots; the rest emerge on the day of presentation.
Discussant watch list¶
Discussant identity is signal-rich at ASCO. Senior figures in each disease group are typically named ~2 weeks pre-meeting (so by ~May 18). Names to expect / track (based on prior-year patterns, not yet confirmed for 2026):
- Prostate (PROTEUS LBA1): likely Tanya Dorff (City of Hope), Stephen Freedland (Cedars-Sinai), or Karim Fizazi (Gustave Roussy). Discussant framing of MFS-vs-OS will be the headline.
- Pancreatic (Rasolute-302 LBA5): likely Eileen O'Reilly (MSK) or Andrew Hendifar (Cedars-Sinai). Toxicity / G12-subgroup framing is the watch.
- Adjuvant lung (LIBRETTO-432 LBA3, ALCHEMIST 8000): likely Jhanelle Gray (Moffitt) or Roy Herbst (Yale) — adjuvant TKI vs IO sequencing is the recurring question.
- 1L lung (HARMONi-6 LBA4): likely Solange Peters (CHUV) or Suresh Ramalingam (Emory). PD-1×VEGF class read-through is the framing.
- Sarcoma (SARC041 LBA2): likely George Demetri (Dana-Farber) or William Tap (MSK).
- Lymphoma (frontMIND LBA7000): likely Laurie Sehn (BCCA), Jason Westin (MDACC), or Loretta Nastoupil (MDACC).
- Breast (persevERA / SERENA-6 / ASCENT-04): likely Hope Rugo (UCSF/UCLA), Sara Tolaney (Dana-Farber), or Aditya Bardia (UCLA).
- Melanoma (OptimUM-02 LBA9503): likely Richard Carvajal (Northwell) — uveal-melanoma specialist who chaired prior darovasertib discussions.
All names above are pre-confirmation guesses based on prior-year ASCO patterns and disease-group seniority. Will be reconciled against the official program once discussants are posted.
What's speculative vs. confirmed¶
Confirmed (sourced and dated): - Meeting dates, venue, format (ASCO.org) - Embargo policy and timing (Abstract Policies FAQ) - Plenary slate LBA1–LBA5 trial names (ApexOnco preview + per-sponsor press releases) - Topline results disclosed pre-meeting: LIBRETTO-432 EFS+ (Lilly Feb 2026), Rasolute-302 PFS+ / OS HR 0.40 (Revolution Apr 13, 2026), persevERA missed (Roche Mar 2026), frontMIND PFS+ HR 0.75 (Incyte Jan 2026), OptimUM-02 PFS+ HR 0.42 (IDEAYA Apr 13, 2026) - Selected LBA numbers (LBA1–5, LBA660, LBA1000, LBA1006, LBA1007, LBA7000, LBA8005, LBA8500, LBA9503) and their session day/time per OncLive previews
Speculative — flag before publishing: - Discussant identities (above watch list) - Plenary LBA6 (slot may or may not be filled) - Full numerical results for trials with only PFS positive / topline narrative (HARMONi-6 OS, PROTEUS MFS magnitude, SARC041, KN026-004, WU-KONG28, TRIPLEX, ALCHEMIST, ASCENT-04 PFS2 magnitude, SERENA-6 PFS2 magnitude) - Discussant takeaways (entirely day-of) - Practice-changing verdicts pending NCCN guideline updates and FDA filings
Dead ends (for now)¶
- Full abstract text, methods, subgroup tables: regular abstracts release May 21 (10 days from now); LBA full text only on day of presentation. Cannot fabricate.
- Plenary discussants: not yet posted publicly. Will check daily May 14 onward.
- Speaker slide decks / data figures: not pre-released by ASCO. Only available via ASCO Virtual (paid registration) or post-presentation press coverage.
- AACR 2026 cross-links: AACR 2026 abstract pages are populated in this vault but discussant overlap (named oncologist appearing at both meetings) requires post-presentation reconciliation.