American Society for Clinical Oncology Conference 2026 Day 3 Plenary + Education Digest

Compiled by Dr Omar Abdihamid

🧬 1. SARC041 – Dedifferentiated liposarcoma

Old: Doxorubicin-based chemo, few durable options.

New: Abemaciclib tested in advanced dedifferentiated liposarcoma.

Africa meaning: Rare cancers need sarcoma MDTs, pathology review, and trial access.

🔗 https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/asco26-first-look-video-dr-monty-pal-sarc-041?cid=DM29530&bid=629052638

1. LIBRETTO-432 – RET-positive early NSCLC

Old: Surgery ± chemo; RET therapy mainly metastatic.

New: Adjuvant selpercatinib after resection.

Africa meaning: Molecular testing must move earlier, not only metastatic disease.

🔗 https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/asco26-first-look-video-dr-monty-pal-libretto-432?cid=DM29530&bid=629052638

1. HARMONi-6 – Advanced squamous NSCLC

Old: Chemo + PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor.

New: Ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF bispecific, plus chemo.

Africa meaning: Promising, but bleeding risk, toxicity, and cost will matter.

🔗 https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/asco26-first-look-video-dr-monty-pal-harmoni-6?cid=DM29530&bid=629052638

1. RASolute-302 – Metastatic pancreatic cancer

Old: Limited second-line options after gemcitabine or FOLFIRINOX.

New: Daraxonrasib, oral RAS inhibitor, versus chemotherapy.

Africa meaning: Big hope, but requires molecular testing and access pathways.

🔗 https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/asco26-first-look-video-dr-monty-pal-rasolute-302?cid=DM29530&bid=629052638

5.PROTEUS – High-risk localised prostate cancer

Old: Surgery/RT + ADT, intensification mostly later.

New: Apalutamide + ADT before and after prostatectomy.

Africa meaning: Earlier intensification is coming, but affordability is key.

🔗 https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/asco26-first-look-video-dr-monty-pal-proteus?cid=DM29530&bid=629052638

Educational Session

🌍 6. Redefining benefit in cancer care

Message: Benefit is not only PFS/OS. It is survival, toxicity, cost, travel, dignity, and quality of life.

Africa meaning: Value-based oncology is essential for our setting.

🔗 https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/putting-patients-first-cancer-care-redefining-benefit-examining-health-systems?cid=DM29530&bid=629052638

👩🏾‍⚕️ 7. Global oncology workforce crisis

Message: Cancer care will fail without trained, retained oncology teams.

Africa meaning: Drugs matter, but so do nurses, physicists, RTTs, pharmacists, navigators, pathologists, and palliative teams.

🔗 https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/lancet-oncology-commission-global-oncology-workforce-crisis-details-challenges-calls?cid=DM29530&bid=629052638

Bottom line for African oncology:

ASCO Day 3 is about precision earlier in the disease course, smarter targeted therapy, and redefining progress beyond expensive drugs. For Kenya and Africa, the key question remains: can we match innovation with diagnostics, workforce, affordability, and equitable access

Dr Omar Abdihamid is an oncologist at Garissa Cancer Center, Kenya & Vice President of African Organization for Training and research in Cancer