Pre-meeting data the CHALLENGE cost-utility analysis in resected colon cancer, the KEYNOTE-B15/EV-304 perioperative urothelial carcinoma study, and the CHRYSALIS-2 atypical EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohort, preview key oral and poster presentations scheduled for the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting taking place May 29 to June 2 in Chicago, Illinois.
Final abstracts were released during ASCO's pre-meeting embargo lift on May 21, 2026, with full presentations to follow during the Annual Meeting next week. CancerNetwork® will continue to provide coverage of each trial during the presentations, including expanded efficacy and safety analyses, investigator perspectives, and discussant commentary.
CHALLENGE: Structured Exercise Program Proves Cost-Effective in Resected Colon Cancer
The phase 3 CHALLENGE trial (NCT00819208) previously demonstrated improved disease-free and overall survival with a 3-year structured exercise program (SEP) compared with health education materials (HEM) in patients with resected stage III or high-risk stage II colon cancer who had completed adjuvant chemotherapy or surgery. A pre-specified cost-utility analysis, scheduled for presentation as abstract 3507, evaluated whether the SEP delivered economic value alongside its clinical benefit.
In the base case analysis from a Canadian public health care payer perspective with a 5-year time horizon, the SEP was dominant over HEM—delivering lower total costs (–$179) and greater effectiveness (+0.06 life-years; +0.10 quality-adjusted life-years [QALYs]) despite the $4327 up-front cost of the intervention. The SEP was dominant in 49% of bootstrap samples, with 79% meeting a $50,000 per QALY willingness-to-pay threshold. In both groups, major cost drivers were recurrence or new malignancy and anticancer therapy.
Scenario analyses reinforced the base case. Over a 10-year horizon, the SEP yielded cost savings of $-2528 and 0.35 life-years gained. From a societal perspective incorporating indirect wage loss, the incremental cost-utility ratio was $3571/QALY—well within thresholds typically considered highly cost-effective.
Full presentation of the CHALLENGE cost-utility analysis will take place during the gastrointestinal cancers oral abstract session at the Annual Meeting. CancerNetwork coverage will include detailed cost-category breakdowns and implementation considerations for health systems.
KEYNOTE-B15/EV-304: EV Plus Pembrolizumab Improves EFS, OS, and pCR vs Chemotherapy in Cisplatin-Eligible MIBC
The randomized phase 3 KEYNOTE-B15/EV-304 study (NCT04700124), to be presented as abstract 4614, evaluated perioperative enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev) plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) vs neoadjuvant gemcitabine plus cisplatin followed by radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) eligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy. A total of 405 and 403 patients were randomly assigned to enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab and gemcitabine/cisplatin arms, respectively, with a median follow-up of 33.6 months at the October 27, 2025, data cutoff.
Enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) by blinded independent central review, the primary end point, with a HR of 0.53 (95% CI, 0.41-0.70; 1-sided P <.0001); the median EFS was not reached in the enfortumab vedoting plus pembrolizumab arm vs 48.5 months with gemcitabine/cisplatin, and the 24-month EFS rate was 79.4% vs 66.2%. Overall survival also favored the enfortumab vedotin-based combination (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48-0.89; 1-sided P = .0029), with a 24-month OS rate of 86.9% vs 81.3% and medians not reached in either arm.
The pathologic complete response rate by blinded central pathological review was 55.8% with enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab vs 32.5% with gemcitabine/cisplatin, an estimated difference of 23.4% (95% CI, 16.7-29.8; 1-sided P <.0001). Grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 75.7% and 67.2% of patients, respectively. The most common grade 3 or higher enfortumab vedotin-related adverse event of special interest was skin reactions (14.1%); for pembrolizumab, severe skin reactions occurred in 13.9% of patients. Investigators reported that the safety profile was consistent with prior experience with the combination.
Full presentation of KEYNOTE-B15/EV-304 will take place during the Annual Meeting. CancerNetwork coverage will include subgroup analyses, surgical outcomes, and discussant perspective on the role of perioperative immunotherapy in cisplatin-eligible MIBC.
CHRYSALIS-2: Frontline Amivantamab Plus Lazertinib Yields 41-Month Median OS in Atypical EGFR-Mutant NSCLC
Updated overall survival results from cohort C of the phase 1/1b CHRYSALIS-2 study (NCT04077463), to be presented as abstract 8501, evaluated first-line amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant) plus lazertinib (Lazcluze) in treatment-naive patients with atypical EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC (n = 49), a population historically associated with worse outcomes on EGFR-targeted therapies compared with classical exon 19 deletion or L858R mutations.
At a median follow-up of 31.3 months as of the October 31, 2025, data cutoff, the median OS was 41.0 months (95% CI, 27.7-not estimable), with 55% of patients alive at 3 years and 46% alive at 4 years. At data cutoff, 20% of patients (10 of 49) remained on frontline treatment, including 6 confirmed responders and 4 with stable disease; 7 patients had received amivantamab for more than 3 years. Among the 28 patients who progressed and discontinued frontline treatment, 71% received subsequent therapy, most commonly platinum-based chemotherapy regimens (55%).
The safety profile was consistent with prior CHRYSALIS-2 reports, and no additional safety signals were identified with longer-term follow-up. Investigators noted that amivantamab plus lazertinib has now demonstrated substantial survival benefit in both classical and atypical EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC, and that the recently FDA-approved subcutaneous formulation of amivantamab may further simplify treatment delivery.
Full presentation of the CHRYSALIS-2 update will take place during the lung cancer oral abstract session at the Annual Meeting. CancerNetwork® coverage will include atypical EGFR mutation subtype outcomes, central nervous system efficacy data, and discussant perspective.
Continuing Coverage at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting
The CHALLENGE, KEYNOTE-B15/EV-304, and CHRYSALIS-2 readouts are among the data updates scheduled at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting that will receive full investigator presentations and discussant commentary during the meeting in Chicago. Follow CancerNetwork® for ongoing coverage of these and additional practice-changing data across colorectal, urothelial, and NSCLC tracks, as well as breast, hematologic, gynecologic, and gastrointestinal cancer sessions throughout the meeting.
References
1. Chan KK, Chu RW, Cheung MC, et al. Structured exercise program following adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer: a cost-utility analysis of the CHALLENGE trial. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(suppl 16):Abstract 3507. doi:10.1200/JCO.2026.44.16_suppl.3507
2. Hoimes CJ, Galsky MD, Valderrama BP, et al. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab for participants with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are eligible for cisplatin: randomized, open-label, phase 3 KEYNOTE-B15 study. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(suppl 16):Abstract 4614. doi:10.1200/JCO.2026.44.16_suppl.4614
3. Neal JW, Cho BC, Wang Y, et al. Overall survival of first-line amivantamab plus lazertinib in atypical EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): updated results from the CHRYSALIS-2 study. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(suppl 16):Abstract 8501. doi:10.1200/JCO.2026.44.16_suppl.8501
