SEATTLE — May 21, 2026 — Fred Hutch Cancer Center experts will present the latest findings in advancing treatments for blood, skin and breast cancers, as well as new research in palliative care, financial toxicity and more at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), May 29-June 3 in Chicago, Illinois.
See below for summaries and links to selected Fred Hutch presentations. For interview requests, contact media@fredhutch.org.
Fred Hutch experts are available to provide context on the following topics:
· Multi-cancer early detection tests
· Early onset colorectal cancer and other early onset cancers
· KRAS inhibitors for treatment of pancreatic, lung and other cancers
· Cancer care delivery, the cost of cancer care and healthcare access
For more on Fred Hutch at ASCO, please visit our event landing page which includes information about poster presentations and educational sessions.
You can follow Fred Hutch #ASCO26 updates on social media Twitter (X), LinkedIn and Bluesky and visit Fred Hutch booth #15022.
Melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma
Rapid Oral Session: E451
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 5:42-5:48pm CT
Hemant Khandelia, MBBS, will present the findings of a single center, retrospective study of patients with advanced melanoma to determine if their response to treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors was impacted by the time of day they received their therapy. The results suggest that patients respond similarly to treatment regardless of the time of day they receive it.
Rapid Oral Abstract E451
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 4:42-4:48pm CT
Evan Hall, MD, MPhil will present the results of this multi-center, National Cancer Institute-sponsored, randomized phase 2 study evaluating the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) with tuvusertib, an ATR inhibitor, alone or in combination with avelumab in anti-PD-(L)1-refractory MCC to determine if combination therapy resulted in better outcomes.
Oral Abstract Session: S100bc
Monday, June 1, 2026, 9:12-9:24am CT
This multi-center, investigator-initiated phase 3 trial led by Shailender Bhatia, MD looked at the use of adjuvant therapy with avelumab to reduce risk of relapse in patients with advanced Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). In this oral abstract session, Dr. Bhatia will present the results of this study, which suggest that patients with advanced, or stage 4 MCC, benefit from immunotherapy, indicating that patients with later stage MCC have more treatment options than previously thought.
Progress in treatment for HR+/HER2- breast cancer
Oral Abstract Session: Hall D1
Monday, June 2, 2026, 12:09-12:21 pm CT
In this oral presentation, lead investigator, Sara Hurvitz, MD, FACP and Smith Family Endowed Chair in Women’s Health will present the latest findings of the VIKTORIA-1 Study 2, which represent an important advancement in the development of new therapies for HR+/HER2– advanced breast cancer. These findings build on prior results from VIKTORIA-1 in patients with HR+/HER2– advanced breast cancer with PIK3CA wild-type disease. In that analysis, the same gedatolisib triplet demonstrated a 7.3-month progression free survival improvement over fulvestrant alone while the same doublet conferred a 5.4-month benefit.
David Karnofsky Science of Oncology Award Lecture
Earlier this year, Nancy Davidison, MD and Raisbeck Endowed Chair for Collaborative Research received the 2026 David Karnofsky Award for Advancing Breast Cancer Research and Care for her commitment to breast cancer research and her work identifying the mechanisms of breast cancer treatment resistance. In honor of this achievement, Dr. Davidson will be delivering remarks during ASCO’s opening session.
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Note: To the extent any commercializable discoveries result from the aforementioned research, Fred Hutch and the scientists who contributed to the discoveries may stand to benefit from their future commercialization.
The clinical trials referenced above involve investigational products and/or therapies that have not been approved for commercial marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory authority. Results may vary and encouraging results from early-stage clinical trials may not be supported in later-stage clinical trials. No conclusions should be drawn from the information in this Tip Sheet or from the conference presentations about the safety, efficacy or likelihood of regulatory approval of these investigational products and/or therapies.
Fred Hutch does not endorse or verify the accuracy of any content of any third party sites, materials or related information that may be referenced by the presentations.
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Media Contact:
media@fredhutch.org
206-667-2210
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.