Five Under 5: Top Oncology Videos for the Week of 10/18

Welcome to The Five Under 5, your go-to roundup of the top 5 videos of last week.

These short videos are designed for busy oncologists to view on the go, and feature expert insights on breaking news, regulatory updates, practice-changing data shared at medical meetings, and other key topics in the realm of oncology.

Here’s what you may have missed:

CRC Abstracts to Watch at the 2026 ESMO Congress: Frank A. Sinicrope, MD

Frank A. Sinicrope, MD, of Mayo Clinic, reviewed colorectal cancer (CRC) abstracts to watch at the 2026 ESMO Congress. The phase 3 IROCAS trial (NCT02967289) compared modified FOLFIRINOX vs modified FOLFOX as adjuvant therapy in patients with high-risk stage III colon cancer, with 3-year disease-free survival as the primary end point. Sinicrope noted that because the more intensive regimen carries added toxicity, the key question is whether its benefit justifies that trade-off. He also pointed to the global phase 2 AZUR-1 trial (NCT05723562), which is evaluating dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) monotherapy in locally advanced mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) rectal cancer. The study is testing whether the high clinical complete response (cCR) rates seen in earlier data hold in a broader, global population.

The FDA Approval of Dostarlimab for dMMR/MSI-H Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Andrea Cercek, MD

Andrea Cercek, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, detailed the October 19, 2026, FDA accelerated approval of dostarlimab for adults with stage II or III dMMR or microsatellite instability–high locally advanced rectal cancer, as determined by an FDA-authorized test. The approval was based on AZUR-1, which enrolled 154 patients with previously untreated disease. By independent central review (n = 116), the sustained cCR rate at 12 months was 47% (95% CI, 37%-56%), meeting the primary end point; by investigator assessment (n = 144), the rate was 68% (95% CI, 60%-76%), with no recurrences among responders at a median follow-up exceeding 2 years. The approval builds on an investigator-initiated phase 2 trial (NCT04165772) led by Cercek’s team, in which all evaluable patients (n = 42) achieved a cCR. Cercek noted that all patients with dMMR locally advanced rectal cancer may now be candidates for upfront dostarlimab, potentially avoiding chemotherapy, chemoradiation, and surgery, which makes biomarker testing essential.

The Goal of the 4WARD Trial Evaluating Mavorixafor in Chronic Neutropenia: Julia T. Warren, MD, PhD

Julia T. Warren, MD, PhD, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, outlined the goal of the phase 3 4WARD trial (NCT06056297), which is evaluating the oral CXCR4 antagonist mavorixafor (Xolremdi) in patients with chronic neutropenia. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is enrolling patients with congenital or chronic idiopathic neutropenia—excluding cyclic neutropenia—who had at least 2 neutropenia-related infections in the prior 12 months and an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) below 1,000 cells/μL. Patients receive once-daily mavorixafor or placebo, with or without stable granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), for 52 weeks, with annualized infection rate and ANC response as the primary end points. In the phase 1b/2 trial (NCT04154488), mavorixafor monotherapy (n = 10) produced durable mean ANC increases, and all patients with congenital neutropenia in the G-CSF combination arm (n = 13) reduced their G-CSF dose while maintaining a normal mean ANC. Warren explained that 4WARD will assess ANC over a full 12 months, longer than prior studies, with a central focus on reducing infections.

An Optimal Diagnostic Workflow in Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma: Ashley Margol, MD, MS

Ashley Margol, MD, MS, of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, explored an optimal diagnostic workflow for pediatric low-grade glioma. For symptomatic patients with suggestive imaging who will likely need therapy, she recommended obtaining a tissue diagnosis as soon as possible and ordering comprehensive molecular testing at the time of biopsy. Histology typically returns first, so the team shares the preliminary diagnosis with the family while the integrated diagnosis—including DNA methylation profiling when performed—is pending. Once molecular results return in approximately 2 to 3 weeks, the team reviews the integrated diagnosis, prognosis, and molecularly guided treatment options with the family. For small, incidentally detected lesions in nonconcerning locations, such as the posterior fossa, Margol noted that repeat imaging is often favored over biopsy, and some patients followed at her institution for more than a decade have required no intervention.

The Rationale for Evaluating the PD-1/IL-15 Fusion Protein SAR445877 in MSS CRC: Paul E. Oberstein, MD

Paul E. Oberstein, MD, of NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, examined the rationale for evaluating SAR445877, an investigational PD-1/IL-15 fusion protein, in microsatellite-stable (MSS) CRC. The agent links an anti–PD-1 antibody to a modified interleukin-15 cytokine, pairing PD-1 blockade to activate T cells with direct immune stimulation. Oberstein noted that immunotherapy in its traditional form has shown little to no therapeutic role in MSS disease. The combination strategy aims to overcome barriers to immune response in immunologically cold tumors such as CRC. He positioned SAR445877 as a potential option for patients with advanced MSS CRC who do not respond to current immune-based therapies.