Thoracic Oncologists Preview Most Anticipated Abstracts From ELCC 2026

Ahead of this year’s European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC), which will be held from March 25 to 28 in Copenhagen, Denmark, OncLive® asked leading oncologists in the lung cancer space to share what presentations they are most excited to learn more about during the meeting and why.

This exclusive preview features insights from:

• Eric K. Singhi, MD, medical oncology faculty lead of the MD Anderson Young Onset Lung Cancer Program, Department of General Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, and assistant professor in the Department of General Oncology and Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
• Wade Iams, MD, MSCI, director of Lung Cancer Research at Greco Hainsworth Centers for Research within Tennessee Oncology in Nashville.
• Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Ensign Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and professor of pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

Iams’ list:

Abstract LBA1 - Ceralasertib (C) + durvalumab (D) in patients (pts) with locally advanced (LA) or metastatic (m) NSCLC who progressed on or after anti-PD-(L)1 and platinum-based chemotherapy (CT): Results from LATIFY

Presentation time: March 27, 15:15-15:25 CEST

“One of the main abstracts that I’m most interested in is ceralisertib plus durvalumab [Imfinzi] post immunotherapy. That’s been one of the treatment modalities that has shown promise in acquired immunotherapy-resistant, non–small cell lung cancer [NSCLC]. I’m very interested to see what that big data set is going to show.”

Abstract LBA3 - Predictors of benefit from local consolidative therapy and patterns of failure for metastatic EGFR-mutant NSCLC: A secondary analysis of NorthStar, a phase II randomized clinical trial

Presentation time: March 26, 16:25-16:30 CEST

“Another big data set that I’m interested to see, because it affects my day-to-day practice already, is from the [phase 2] NorthStar study [NCT04479306],¹ which is looking at local consolidative therapy [LCT] in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC. We have 3 escalation strategies for patients with metastatic EGFR-mutant NSCLC. We have amivantamab-vmjw [Rybrevant] plus lazertinib [Lazcluze] from the [phase 3] MARIPOSA study [NCT04487080], chemotherapy plus osimertinib [Tagrisso] from the [phase 3] FLAURA-2 study [NCT04035486], but we also have the NorthStar approach of administering osimertinib and then adding aggressive LCT for those patients. Although LCT for patients with oligometastatic NSCLC broadly was [found to result in] negative [findings in a] randomized phase 3 study, the data in patients with EGFR mutations, which I have extrapolated to patients with other oncogenic drivers, have always been stronger with that approach of local consolidation. NorthStar is a key data set to see continue to evolve for those patients.”

Abstract LBA2 - ETOP-Roche i-TIMES: Immunotherapy timing investigation on lung cancer survival

Presentation time: March 27, 15:25-15:35 CEST

“The last study that continues to intrigue me and affect my thinking daily in the clinic is the timing of immunotherapy, and the observation that patients getting treatment earlier in the day with immunotherapy, rather than, say, 3pm or later, may have significant benefit. When it reaches 1pm in my clinic, I’m thinking about those data and, if we have any of those patients [who need immunotherapy] remaining, how quickly we can get them over to the infusion center. At ELCC we’re going to see some updates on that data set.”

Singhi’s list:

Abstract LBA4 - Sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) in patients (pts) with previously treated advanced EGFR-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Final overall survival (OS) analysis from the randomized OptiTROP-Lung03 study

Presentation time: March 27, 09:00-09:05 CEST

“The final overall survival [OS] update from the [phase 2] OptiTROP-Lung03 trial [NCT05631262] will determine whether sacituzumab tirumotecan [sac-TMT] not only improves response and progression-free survival [PFS] but truly helps patients live longer. [Extending] median OS in this trial, despite approximately 41% crossover to sac-TMT from the control arm, is especially meaningful, as OS remains the gold standard end point for most that drives practice change in a space where survival gains have been hard to achieve. If confirmed, this positions sac-TMT as a practice-changing option post EGFR TKI [therapy], and not just another active therapy.”

Abstract LBA3 - Predictors of benefit from local consolidative therapy and patterns of failure for metastatic EGFR-mutant NSCLC: A secondary analysis of NorthStar, a phase II randomized clinical trial

Presentation time: March 26, 16:25-16:30 CEST

“This second NorthStar analysis moves beyond showing that LCT works in identifying which patients benefit most and how to apply it optimally. By evaluating predictors of benefit and patterns of failure, it helps clarify when aggressive local therapy adds value vs when systemic control should remain the priority. Overall, this advances a more precise approach to LCT for patients with EGFR-mutant metastatic NSCLC: the right patient at the right time, with the right team.”

Herbst’s list:

Abstract LBA2 - ETOP-Roche i-TIMES: Immunotherapy timing investigation on lung cancer survival

Presentation time: March 27, 15:25-15:35 CEST

“I’m really excited about ELCC this year. One of the things that [will be presented in a late breaking session] is a paper looking at the time of immunotherapy administration and outcomes.² That’s been a very interesting and controversial topic lately, with data coming out of China showing highly improved PFS when immunotherapy with chemotherapy was given early vs late in the day. There have been some issues with that paper, the way it was designed, and some of the stratifications, but this will be another study looking at that same thing, so I really am excited to see those results. That’ll be a highlight of the meeting.”

Abstract 1O - Efficacy and safety of setidegrasib in patients (pts) with advanced NSCLC with KRAS G12D mutation

Presentation time: March 25, 16:45-16:55 CEST

Abstract 4MO - Updated results for MK-1084 + pembrolizumab in KRAS G12C-mutated (mut) metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) enrolled in KANDLELIT-001

Presentation time: March 26, 16:00-16:05 CEST

Abstract 7MO - Becotarug (JMT101) and osimertinib (Osi) in patients (pts) with platinum-pretreated EGFR exon 20 insertion-mutated (ex20ins) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Final overall survival (OS) and subgroup analyses from the BECOME phase II study

Presentation time: March 26, 16:55-17:00 CEST

Abstract 6MO - Zongertinib in treatment-naïve patients with HER2-mutant NSCLC, including those with active brain metastases: Beamion LUNG-1

Presentation time: March 26, 16:50-16:55 CEST

“A number of new targeted therapies will be discussed, [including] some of the newer KRAS agents and some of the new agents that target [EGFR] exon 20 and HER2. [At this meeting we’ll have] a chance to recapitulate some of the data [that have] been emerging in lung cancer this past year. This past year has been amazing with some of the advances in targeted therapy [for patients with HER2] and [EGFR] exon 20 [alterations], as well as ways to bring the best therapies to the earliest stages of disease. One of the things that I’m so struck by is that immunotherapy and targeted therapy are both moving to the earliest stages of disease, where they’re having even greater [effect].”

References

1. Elamin YY, Gandhi SJ, Antonoff MB, et al. NorthStar: a phase II randomized study of osimertinib (osi) with or without local consolidative therapy (LCT) for metastatic EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ann Oncol. 2025;36(suppl 2):S1614. doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2025.09.086
2. Randomized trial links time of day to immunotherapy success. Cancer Discov. 2026;16(3):OF1. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0010