On October 19, 2026 Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IOVA), a commercial biotechnology company focused on innovating, developing, and delivering novel polyclonal tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapies for patients with cancer, reported it will present five abstracts from its TIL platform at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026, including two oral presentations of new clinical data in previously untreated advanced melanoma and, for the first time, in two soft tissue sarcomas. The congress takes place October 23–27, 2026, in Madrid, Spain.

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The oral presentation of results with lifileucel in two previously treated soft tissue sarcomas, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) and dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS), are from a pilot clinical trial led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and supported by Iovance. Soft tissue sarcomas are rare and highly heterogeneous cancers comprising approximately 80 tumor subtypes, with an estimated incidence of 4–5 cases per 100,000 people annually in Europe and ~3.5 new diagnoses per 100,000 people in the United States each year.1, 2 For patients with advanced UPS and DDLPS who progress following standard therapies, treatment options remain limited and prognosis is often poor, highlighting the need for new approaches that can deliver meaningful and durable responses.

"This is our first congress presentation of TIL cell therapy in two soft tissue sarcomas with significant unmet need," said Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Iovance. "The efficacy and durability observed in this early cohort are what moved us quickly toward our ongoing SARATOGA registrational trial of lifileucel in UPS and DDLPS. This is the broadest look yet at how Iovance’s growing TIL platform performs across solid tumors."

A second oral presentation, as a proffered paper, highlights the final Phase 2 results for lifileucel in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-naive advanced melanoma. Additional posters will highlight emerging translational and real-world evidence, including an indirect comparison suggesting that lifileucel may approximately double four-year overall survival rates compared with standard-of-care therapies in anti-PD-1-resistant advanced melanoma. Together, these data continue to expand the evidence base for Iovance’s TIL platform.

"Our Phase 2 results in frontline, advanced melanoma show deep, durable responses with a single treatment of lifileucel added to pembrolizumab," Berkowitz continued. "These data reinforce the scientific rationale behind TILVANCE-301, our Phase 3 trial evaluating lifileucel earlier in the treatment of advanced melanoma, highlighting the opportunity this approach may offer patients who don’t achieve lasting benefit from today’s frontline treatments."

Oral Presentations

Proffered Paper (Abstract #2072O): Efficacy and Safety of Lifileucel and Pembrolizumab in Patients with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Naïve Advanced Melanoma: Final Results from IOV-COM-202 Study
Authors: Andrew J.S. Furness, et al.
Session: Friday, October 23, 2026, 16:15–17:45 CEST
Rapid Oral (Abstract #3725RO): Lifileucel in Patients with Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (UPS) or Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma (DDLS)
Authors: Lauren Banks, et al.
Session: Monday, October 26, 2026, 08:30–10:00 CEST
Poster Presentations

Poster (Abstract #4359P): Enrichment of Putative Tumor-Reactive Clones in NSCLC Patients Responding to Lifileucel: Temporal Single Cell Analysis from a Clinical Trial
Authors: Martin Wermke, et al.
Session: Friday, October 23, 2026, 15:15–16:00 CEST
Poster (Abstract #2117P): Indirect Comparison of Overall Survival (OS) between Lifileucel versus Standard-of-Care (SoC) in US Real-World Settings in Anti-PD-1 Resistant Advanced Melanoma
Authors: Barbara Ma, et al.
Session: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 12:00–12:45 CEST
Poster (Abstract #2125P): Lifileucel versus Nivolumab plus Relatlimab (NIVO+RELA) in Anti–PD-(L)1-Resistant Advanced Melanoma: A Match-Adjusted Indirect Comparison (MAIC) of Efficacy Outcomes
Authors: Gino K. In, et al.
Session: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 12:00–12:45 CEST
The ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026 scientific program and abstracts are available at View Source Presentations will be available following the conclusion of each session on www.iovance.com and the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress virtual platform.

About SARATOGA

SARATOGA (NCT07741877) is a registrational Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of lifileucel in patients with advanced (metastatic or unresectable) undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) or dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) who were refractory to at least one prior line of systemic therapy. UPS and DDLPS are high-grade, aggressive soft tissue sarcomas associated with poor prognosis and limited treatment options for patients who progress on chemotherapy.

About TILVANCE

TILVANCE-301 (NCT05727904) is a Phase 3, multicenter, open-label, randomized, parallel group, treatment study to assess the efficacy and safety of lifileucel in combination with pembrolizumab compared with pembrolizumab alone in participants with untreated, unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

(Press release, Iovance Biotherapeutics, OCT 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234673574])