ESMO 2026: 5 Phase III Immunotherapy Trials to Watch
The ESMO 2026 Congress will highlight five major Phase III immunotherapy trials aimed at optimizing treatment for solid tumors. These studies investigate whether reducing the frequency of checkpoint inhibitor infusions can maintain efficacy while improving patient quality of life.
Why it matters
Advancements in immunotherapy dosing schedules could reduce healthcare costs, decrease treatment toxicity, and improve patient adherence to cancer therapies.
The ESMO Congress 2026 is set to feature several potentially important immunotherapy readouts across solid tumors. From reduced-frequency checkpoint inhibition to combinations with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, these studies address how to improve disease control while balancing toxicity and treatment burden.
This overview highlights five phase III trials to watch at ESMO 2026: MOIO, UNION, KEYNOTE-975, STARBOARD, and NRG-GY020. Together, they explore treatment strategies across metastatic disease, definitive chemoradiotherapy, and perioperative care, with potential implications for how immunotherapy is selected and delivered.
LBA10 — MOIO asks a practical question: once a patient has responded to immunotherapy, can treatment be given every three months without an unacceptable loss of efficacy? Gwenaëlle Gravis will present interim analyses of this randomized phase III trial during Presidential Symposium III at ESMO 2026 on October 26.
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