On October 19, 2026 Veracyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: VCYT), a leading cancer diagnostics company, reported that six studies involving its genomic tests will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026, taking place October 23-27 in Madrid, Spain. The presentations span treatment selection and risk assessment in prostate and bladder cancer, as well as a late-breaking health economic analysis from the Phase III landmark OPTIMA breast cancer trial.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

A prostate cancer oral presentation will provide the first evidence that the Decipher Prostate test predicts benefit from adding abiraterone to androgen deprivation therapy for patients with clinically very high-risk, nonmetastatic disease. The findings extend Decipher’s predictive evidence into another treatment setting and build on its established role in prostate cancer risk stratification and treatment benefit. A separate oral presentation will report a within-trial economic analysis of Prosigna-guided chemotherapy decisions in OPTIMA.

"The research being presented at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) reflects how understanding a tumor’s biology can inform decisions across cancer care," said Phillip Febbo, M.D., Veracyte’s chief scientific and medical officer. "The Decipher Prostate study will provide the first evidence that the test predicts benefit from adding abiraterone to treatment for patients with clinically very high-risk disease. Alongside the OPTIMA economic analysis and new bladder cancer research, these studies address questions that matter to patients and clinicians."

Veracyte-related presentations at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2026

Oral presentations:

Title: Transcriptome classifier risk stratification and intensification with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI) for clinically very high-risk prostate cancer (PCa)

Presenter: Sarah Howlett, M.B.B.S., Clinical Research Fellow, Research Department of Oncology, University College London
Abstract #: 2045O
Date and time: Saturday, October 24, 10:15–11:45 a.m. CEST
Location: Barcelona Auditorium, Hall 9
Late-breaking oral presentation:

Title: Within-trial economic analysis of chemotherapy for high-risk early breast cancer informed by a 50-gene assay: 2-year results from the OPTIMA randomised trial

Presenter: Peter Hall, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D., Professor of Medical Oncology (Cancer Informatics), University of Edinburgh
Abstract #: LBA86
Date and time: Sunday, October 25, 10:15 a.m. – 11:45am CET
Location: Seville Auditorium – NCC
Poster presentations

Title: Age at Diagnosis as an Independent Prognostic Factor in Urothelial Carcinoma: Impact on Survival and Immune Microenvironment Within Molecular Subtypes

Presenter: Michela Piacentini, M.D., Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan
Abstract #: 4746P
Date and time: Friday, October 23, 3:15–4:00 p.m. CEST
Title: Prognostic Value of the Decipher Prostate Genomic Classifier (GC) and Neuroendocrine (NE) Gene Expression Signatures in Real-World De Novo Metastatic (M1) Prostate Cancer

Presenter: Alice Bernard-Tessier, M.D., medical oncologist, Gustave Roussy; Research Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Abstract #: 4465P
Date and time: Friday, October 23, 3:15–4:00 p.m. CEST
Title: A Scar-like Transcriptomic Classifier Confirms Favorable Outcomes in Patients with Residual Bladder Cancer (BC) after Perioperative Chemo-immunotherapy

Presenter: Chiara Mercinelli, M.D., Medical Oncologist, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital and Scientific Institute, Milan
Abstract #: 4521eP
Date and time: electronic poster
Title: Evaluating the prognostic utility of a genomic classifier (GC) in an Asian real-world cohort of localized prostate cancer (PCa)

Presenter: Melvin Lee Kiang Chua, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Head and Senior Consultant, National Cancer Centre Singapore; Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School
Abstract #: 2061eP
Date and time: electronic poster

(Press release, Veracyte, OCT 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234673570])

On October 19, 2026 XBiotech Inc. (NASDAQ: XBIT) reported positive final efficacy results from the randomized Phase II portion of the multicenter TASKIN clinical trial. The investigator-sponsored study—funded by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) and coordinated by investigators at the Centre Georges-François Leclerc (CGFL) in Dijon, France—evaluated the addition of XBiotech’s anti-IL-1α monoclonal antibody, XB2001 (Natrunix, vilamakitug), to standard-of-care trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) with or without bevacizumab in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The TASKIN Phase II study met its pre-specified primary efficacy success criterion under a Simon two-stage design. At the 12-month landmark analysis, 49 of 80 evaluable patients (61.3%) in the vilamakitug experimental arm were alive, surpassing the protocol-defined threshold of 42 or more surviving patients required to establish efficacy. In the control arm (placebo plus standard chemotherapy), 44 of 79 evaluable patients (55.7%) were alive at 12 months.

Professor François Ghiringhelli, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator of the TASKIN study and Director of the Oncology Department at Centre Georges-François Leclerc, commented:

"Patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer face severe therapeutic limitations and poor survival outcomes. Meeting our pre-specified primary milestone provides compelling evidence that targeting IL-1α plays a meaningful role in tumor biology. Most striking is the magnitude of benefit observed in right-sided colorectal cancers, which has been a historically aggressive disease subset with high unmet medical need. The alignment between this pronounced clinical survival advantage and elevated basal IL-1α tumor expression offers a clear biological rationale for this therapy."

Summary of Overall Findings

Time to Strategy Failure (TSF): The 12-month TSF rate, which captured the duration for which the overall treatment strategy remains viable, was 31.2% in the vilamakitug arm compared to 20.3% in the control arm (log-rank p = 0.17).
Progression-Free Survival (PFS): Median PFS was 5.9 months for the vilamakitug arm versus 5.6 months for the control arm, with a 12-month PFS rate of 25.0% versus 21.0% (log-rank p = 0.42), with survival curves visibly separating after month 7.
Safety & Treatment Adherence: Vilamakitug demonstrated high feasibility in combination with chemotherapy, showing a 96.4% mean compliance rate for trifluridine/tipiracil and only a 1.3% permanent discontinuation rate for vilamakitug/placebo
Exploratory Endpoint Analysis, Efficacy in Right-Sided Primary Tumors

A prospective exploratory analysis identified a statistically significant benefit in patients with right-sided (proximal) primary tumors (n = 37), a subtype characterized by aggressive tumor biology, high unmet medical need, and poor outcomes under standard therapies:

Overall Survival (OS): Vilamakitug demonstrated a statistically significant 62% reduction in the risk of death compared to control (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.14–0.99; Cox p = 0.047, log-rank p = 0.038) through 12 months.
Time to Strategy Failure (TSF): Vilamakitug achieved a 61% reduction in the risk of treatment strategy failure compared to control (HR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.18–0.85; Cox p = 0.017, log-rank p = 0.014) through 12 months.
Sushma Shivaswamy, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer of XBiotech, stated:

"We are deeply grateful to Professor Ghiringhelli, the team at Centre Georges-François Leclerc, the French National Cancer Institute, and all the participating patients for advancing this important trial. By uncovering a biomarker-anchored patient population in right-sided disease that derives substantial clinical benefit from vilamakitug, TASKIN provides a focused and validated direction as we advance vilamakitug toward registrational clinical development."

About the TASKIN Trial The TASKIN study (NCT05201352) is an investigator-sponsored clinical trial funded by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) and sponsored by the Centre Georges-François Leclerc (CGFL) in Dijon, conducted across clinical cancer centers in France. The Phase I portion determined the safety and recommended Phase II dose of vilamakitug with trifluridine/tipiracil and bevacizumab. The double-blind Phase II portion enrolled heavily pre-treated refractory mCRC patients randomized 1:1 to receive standard-of-care trifluridine/tipiracil (± bevacizumab) in combination with either vilamakitug or placebo until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

About vilamakitug (Natrunix, XB2001) A True Human therapeutic monoclonal antibody developed solely by XBiotech. Vilamakitug is derived from a human donor that had a natural human immune response against interleukin1alpha (IL-1a). IL-1α is an apex mediator that creates the environment to support growth and emergence of malignant cells. IL-1a stimulates angiogenesis, cellular dysregulation, tissue matrix remodeling, tumor migration, adhesion, and invasion, hallmark physiological features of cancer. Remarkably, vilamakitug has been shown clinically to simultaneously reduce levels of each of VEGF-A, ErbB2/HER2, PDGF, and EGF in cancer patients. Rather than a simple cytotoxic agent that kills all growing tissue, vilamakitug therefore can target multiple aspects of the malignant disease process, facilitating anti-tumor effects while controlling the disease process and reducing disease morbidity. Dramatic reduction in incidence of cancer-related morbidity, reduced hospitalization, reduced duration of hospitalization, reduced symptoms such as diarrhea, fatigue and pain, reduced tumor burden, and longer progression free survival and overall survival have been observed in another study in advanced cancer.

(Press release, XBiotech, OCT 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234673569])

On October 19, 2026 Delcath Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: DCTH), an interventional oncology company focused on the treatment of primary and metastatic cancers of the liver, reported presentations related to its clinical development programs at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026, taking place October 23–27 in Madrid, Spain. The Company also highlighted the publication of an independent, investigator-led analysis of percutaneous hepatic perfusion (PHP) with melphalan using the CHEMOSAT Hepatic Delivery System in patients with liver-dominant metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

ESMO Congress 2026 Presentation Details

Company Sponsored Trial-in-Progress Poster Presentation
Title: DELUMA: An Open-Label, Randomized Phase II Study of Melphalan/HDS Induction Followed by Standard Therapy vs Standard Therapy Alone in Patients with Liver-Dominant Metastatic Breast Cancer
Abstract Number: 58TiP
Presenter: Heather McArthur, MD, MPH; UT Southwestern Medical Center, Global Principal Investigator
Date/Time: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 12:00 CEST
Location: Poster Area, Hall 5, IFEMA Madrid

"Meet the Investigators" Session
Date/Time: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 16:30–17:00 CEST
Location: Valencia Auditorium

Del-Liver Phase 2 trial in metastatic colorectal cancer – update presented by Global Principal Investigator Marwan Fakih, MD, City of Hope
Deluma Phase 2 trial in metastatic breast cancer – update presented by Global Principal Investigator Heather McArthur, MD, MPH, UT Southwestern Medical Center
The session will conclude with an open Q&A discussion.

Poster Presentation – Independent Investigator
Title: Liver-metastatic uveal melanoma comparison: melphalan hepatic delivery (PHP) + ipilimumab/nivolumab versus tebentafusp
Abstract Number: 2135P
Presenter: Cato Boreel, Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing (Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry)
Session Type: Poster
Date/Time: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 12:00 CEST
Location: Poster Area, Hall 5, IFEMA Madrid
Summary: Compares regional treatment (melphalan hepatic delivery/PHP) plus ipilimumab/nivolumab with systemic tebentafusp in patients with liver-metastatic uveal melanoma.

Independent Analysis of CHEMOSAT PHP in Liver-Dominant Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

Independent investigators from St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland published a retrospective analysis of patients with liver-dominant mUM who were referred to University Hospital Southampton for chemosaturation with percutaneous hepatic perfusion (CS-PHP) between 2019 and 2026. The abstract, "Outcomes and safety of chemosaturation with percutaneous hepatic perfusion (CS-PHP) in liver-dominant metastatic uveal melanoma: Impact of molecular profiling on survival" (Abstract 119P), appears in ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Open, Volume 11, Supplement 7 (September 2026), and is available here.

Key findings (retrospective cohort; N=12):

Patients received a median of 3 CS-PHP cycles (median age 58 years).
Objective response rate (ORR) was 66.7% and disease control rate (DCR) was 75% per RECIST 1.1.
Median hepatic progression-free survival was 18.4 months and median overall survival was 28 months.
Serious adverse events were reported in 3 patients, including pulmonary embolism and one procedural hemorrhage; no treatment-related deaths occurred.
In exploratory analyses, BAP1 loss and monosomy 3 (each identified in 6 of 12 patients) were associated with shorter survival.

(Press release, Delcath Systems, OCT 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234673568])

On October 19, 2026 Silence Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: SLN) ("Silence"), a biotechnology company developing precision engineered medicines using its proprietary siRNA technology, reported that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, pursuant to which Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has agreed to acquire Silence in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of $1.1 billion and an equity value of approximately $1.3 billion, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Under the terms of the agreement, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will acquire all outstanding ordinary shares of Silence. Upon completion of the transaction, Silence shareholders will receive $20.00 in cash per American Depositary Share ("ADS"), with each ADS representing three ordinary shares of Silence (or $6.6667 per ordinary share). The all-cash consideration represents a 130% premium to Silence ADS’s closing price on Friday, October 16, 2026 and an 82% premium to the 30-day volume-weighted average price of $10.99.

"We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which is the result of a competitive sale process and delivers significant, immediate and certain value to our shareholders," said Iain Ross, Interim Principal Executive Officer and Chairman of the Silence Board. "This transaction follows potentially best-in-class Phase 2 polycythemia vera data for Divesiran and reflects the important progress we have made advancing our differentiated siRNA pipeline. It also provides a new home for our innovative programs within Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, placing Divesiran with a company that has the scale, resources and commercial capabilities to accelerate its Phase 3 development and bring this potentially best-in-class siRNA therapy to patients in need. We are incredibly grateful to our employees for their dedication and contributions in building Silence into the company it is today."

"The planned acquisition of Silence Therapeutics will strengthen our capabilities to serve patients with targeted specialty and rare diseases," said Kai Beckmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and Group CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. "Following the acquisition of SpringWorks Therapeutics last year, we continue to transform our pipeline toward areas of high specialization and unmet medical need, with an ongoing commitment to external innovation. The proposed transaction follows Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s strategic priority to address attractive end markets also through M&A, creating value over the mid- to long-term."

Transaction Details

The transaction will be effected by means of a U.K. scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the UK Companies Act 2006. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, and is subject to Silence shareholder approval, sanction by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales (the "Court") and other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The transaction was unanimously approved by the Silence Board of Directors.

Certain securityholders of Silence, holding approximately 14% of Silence’s voting power, have entered into a voting and support agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, pursuant to which the securityholders have agreed, among other things, to vote their beneficially owned voting securities of Silence in favor of the transaction.

Advisors

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Centerview Partners are serving as financial advisors, Cooley LLP is acting as legal counsel and Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher is acting as strategic communications advisor.

About PV

PV is a rare, myeloproliferative neoplasm – a type of blood cancer – characterized by the excessive production of red blood cells, often resulting in elevated hematocrit levels. Elevated hematocrit above 45-percent is associated with a four-times higher rate of death from cardiovascular and thrombotic events. PV is associated with a range of burdensome symptoms including fatigue, cognitive disturbance and pruritus and additionally, longer term can transform to myelofibrosis and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The aim of treatment is to maintain hematocrit less than 45%, a level that is associated with a reduced incidence of thrombosis and CV-associated death. The current standard of care includes repeated phlebotomies to reduce hematocrit and/or cytoreductive agents to reduce red blood cell production. There are currently no approved therapies that specifically target red blood cells and hematocrit.

About Divesiran

Divesiran is Silence’s wholly owned siRNA product candidate developed from its proprietary mRNAi GOLD platform that "silences" TMPRSS6 expressed almost exclusively in the liver. TMPRSS6 is a negative regulator of hepcidin, the body’s master regulator of iron metabolism including its absorption, distribution, and storage. By silencing TMPRSS6 in PV patients, Divesiran aims to increase hepcidin production and release by liver hepatocytes, leading to the restriction of iron to the bone marrow and, thus, reducing the excessive production of red blood cells, a process dependent on availability of iron. Divesiran has FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations for PV.

(Press release, Silence Therapeutics, OCT 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234673566])

On October 19, 2026 Servier reported the first patients have been dosed in the pivotal Phase 2 cohort (EMBLEM-1) of a Phase 1/2 study of Emiltatug Ledadotin (Emi-Le) in solid tumors. EMBLEM-1 is evaluating the antitumor activity and safety of Emi-Le, an investigational antibody drug conjugate (ADC) directed against B7-H4, in aggressive adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"Dosing these first patients marks an important step in advancing Emi-Le as a potential targeted treatment for ACC, a difficult-to-treat cancer with no FDA-approved systemic treatment options," said Becky Martin, PhD, Chief of Medical, Servier Pharmaceuticals. "This milestone also underscores the momentum of Servier’s growing oncology portfolio and our commitment to bringing scientific rigor and meaningful innovation to rare cancers where patients face significant unmet need. We look forward to sharing these data with the scientific community."

The primary endpoint is objective response rate (ORR)—defined as the percentage of patients who achieve a best overall response of confirmed complete response (CR) or partial response (PR)— per RECIST 1.1.

The initiation of EMBLEM-1 is supported by clinical data from a Phase 1 analysis of Emi-Le, which demonstrated a differentiated safety profile and were presented in an oral session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2026 Annual Meeting.

Earlier this year, Emi-Le received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the proposed treatment of patients with locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic ACC with solid histology or high-grade transformation.

The EMBLEM-1 cohort is currently enrolling (NCT05377996). Additional details regarding the clinical trial can be found here.

(Press release, Servier, OCT 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234673565])