This Week in Oncology: Real-World NSCLC Care and AACR 2026 Updates

This week the oncology landscape saw a surplus of updated findings on novel therapeutic strategies presented at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. Various poster sessions explored promising treatment regimens that may demonstrate benefit across different patient populations, ranging from non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to head and neck malignancies. Outside of the meeting, other key reports revealed the feasibility of translating success in clinical trials to real-world environments.

Here are some of the notable updates that emerged:

How Effective is Atezolizumab in Real-World NSCLC?

Findings published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease showed that adjuvant therapy with atezolizumab (Tecentriq) produced meaningful disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes in a real-world population of patients with stage IIA to IIIB non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).¹

Of note, the 2-year DFS rate was 63.8% across the overall population, with a median DFS that was not yet reached after more than 27 months of follow-up. In patients with PD-L1 expression of 1% to 49% and 50% or higher, respectively, the 2-year DFS rates were 72.9% and 57.7%.

The safety profile of atezolizumab in this setting appeared to be manageable, with no grade 4/5 adverse effects (AEs) reported. Overall, 60% of the population experienced AEs of any grade, and 8% had grade 3 toxicities.

Can Nivolumab Help in Oral Premalignant Lesions?

New data presented at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting demonstrated the feasibility and potential benefits of using intralesional nivolumab (Opdivo) for patients with oral premalignant lesions in an open-label phase 1 trial (NCT05327270).²

The study treatment produced clinical responses in 85% of patients, which yielded substantial regression in lesion sizes across the population. The 12-month cancer-free survival rate was 75.8%, and patients experienced a median reduction in lesion area of 60%.

Investigators observed no dose-limiting toxicities with this regimen. Additionally, nivolumab fulfilled the primary safety end point with primarily grade 1/2 AEs.

Dirozalkib: A New Option in ALK-Positive NSCLC?

Another presentation at AACR highlighted promising efficacy outcomes with dirozalkib, an investigational ALK inhibitor, among patients with ALK-positive NSCLC in China.³

Data from a phase 2 study (NCT05482087) showed an objective response rate of 71.0% among patients with treatment-naïve disease, 33.3% in those with prior crizotinib (Xalkori), and 22.4% among those who previously received other ALK inhibitors. In a cohort of patients with measurable brain metastases, dirozalkib yielded an intracranial response rate of 59.1%.

Investigators reported that the most common AEs with dirozalkib included gastrointestinal disorders and transaminase elevations. Of note, 13.3% of patients had grade 3 or higher diarrhea.

References

1. Nakamura A, Kondo N, Matsumoto S, et al. Real-world effectiveness and safety of adjuvant atezolizumab in pathological stage IIA-IIIB non-small cell lung cancer following curative surgery. J Thorac Dis. 2026;18(3):217. doi:10.21037/jtd-2025-1-2564
2. Saddawi-Konefka R, et al. Intralesional nivolumab in oral premalignant lesions: a first-in-human phase 1 trial. Presented at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA; April 17-22, 2026. Abstract 10242.
3. Liu Y, Yu Y, Zhang Z, et al. Dirozalkib in patients with advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): results from a phase 2 study. Presented at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting; San Diego, CA; April 17-22, 2026. Abstract CT243/8.