A Sneak Peek at 2025 ASCO From the GU Perspective

In this special episode of Oncology Decoded, hosts Manojkumar Bupathi, MD, MS, and Benjamin Garmezy, MD, discussed the highly anticipated 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Bupathi is the executive cochair of the Genitourinary Cancer Research Executive Committee at Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) and medical oncologist with Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers specializing in solid tumors and genitourinary cancers, and Garmezy is the associate director of genitourinary research and executive cochair of the Genitourinary Cancer Research Executive Committee at SCRI and medical oncologist at SCRI Oncology Partners specializing in genitourinary cancers, underscored the curative potential of adjuvant therapy in kidney cancer.

During the discussion, the experts highlight the abstracts that have caught their eye and offer their predictions on the data that could reshape the landscape of genitourinary oncology.

Kidney Cancer

Several intriguing abstracts are highlighted, with a focus on the evolving role of immunotherapy and the potential for novel combinations.

• Phase 3 PDIGREE trial (NCT03793166): Immunotherapy plus nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) followed by nivolumab alone or nivolumab with cabozantinib (Cabometyx) for patients with advanced kidney cancer. This will be presented by Tian Zhang, MD, MHS, on May 31 from 1:27-1:33 pm CDT.
• Phase 1b STELLAR-002 trial (NCT05176483): Zanzalintinib plus nivolumab and relatlimab in patients with advanced solid tumors. This will be presented by Benjamin Garmezy, MD, in a poster presentation on June 2 at 2:30 pm CDT.

The Bupathi and Garmezy suggest we should be on the lookout for data that could refine treatment algorithms and identify new biomarkers to guide therapy selection.

Bladder Cancer

The potential impact of neoadjuvant therapy and the role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis were key discussion points. The experts anticipated seeing updates from ongoing trials exploring the utility of ctDNA as a predictive and prognostic biomarker, potentially allowing for more personalized treatment approaches.

• Phase 3 NIAGARA trial (NCT03732677): ctDNA will be assessed in those who received perioperative durvalumab (Imfinzi) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This will be presented by Thomas Pwles, MD, PhD, FCRP, on June 1 from 10:45-10:57 am CDT.
• Phase 3 Checkmate901 (NCT03036098): Nivolumab plus ipilimumab vs gemcitabine/carboplatin in patients who are previously untreated with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. This will be presented by Michael Simon Van Der Heijden, MD, PhD, on June 1 from 9:45-9:57 am CDT.

Prostate Cancer

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around prostate cancer, with several potentially practice-changing abstracts generating excitement.

• Artificial intelligence (AI): The use of a multimodal AI model to determine the benefit from a second-generation androgen receptor pathway inhibitor for patients who are high-risk and have non-metastatic prostate cancer and were enrolled on the phase 2/3 STAMPEDE trial (NCT00268476). This will be presented by Nicholas David James, PhD, FRCP, MBBS, on June 3 from 9:57-10:09 am CDT.
• Radiation therapy: A phase 3 trial assessing CAN-2409 plus prodrug and standard of care external beam radiation therapy in patients with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer. This will be presented by Theodore L. De-Weese, MD, on June 3 from 9:45-9:57 am CDT.

Furthermore, the conversation touched upon anticipated phase 3 data in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Specifically, there’s excitement around upcoming results for patients with high-risk or high-volume metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer harboring BRCA mutations. This data could be practice-changing and offer a new therapeutic avenue for this specific subset of patients.

Beyond these specific disease areas, the podcast highlighted the broader themes expected at 2025 ASCO, including the continued development and refinement of immunotherapy, the integration of multimodal AI in oncology, and the ongoing investigation of novel targets, like TROP2 inhibitors.