The theme for the ASCO 2025 Meeting was Driving Knowledge to Action: Building a Better Future, focusing on driving cancer research into impact.
This year, AGITG research once again had a strong presence at the Meeting. Three AGITG studies and one endorsed study was presented: DYNAMIC-III, NEO-IMPACT, STOPNET and CHALLENGE.
Additionally, Deputy Chair of the AGITG Community Advisory Panel (CAP), Jodie Collins, was awarded a scholarship to attend the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, through the Conquer Cancer Patient Advocate Award Program.
Thank you to Prof Lorraine Chantrill, Jodie Collins, Prof Haryana Dhillon, Prof Jeanne Tie and Prof Janette Vardy for contributing to these highlights.
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DYNAMIC-III presented at Oral Abstract Session
Professor Jeanne Tie presented DYNAMIC-III at the Oral Abstract Session, focusing on the primary analysis of findings from the ctDNA-positive cohort.
“The findings significantly reinforce ctDNA as a powerful prognostic marker for Stage III colon cancer, indicating a high recurrence risk for ctDNA-positive patients,” says Jeanne, who is Study Chair of DYNAMIC-III alongside Professor Peter Gibbs.
“The most striking and perhaps disappointing finding is that intensifying current chemotherapy regimens (including to FOLFOXIRI) in ctDNA-positive patients did not improve their recurrence-free survival.
“This is a critical implication, as it suggests that for this highest-risk group, our current arsenal of chemotherapy drugs may not be enough to eradicate all remaining cancer cells.
“For patients, this means a more precise understanding of their individual risk and an urgent need for novel treatments beyond intensified standard chemotherapy.”
These findings underscore the need to further understand and maximise the use of ctDNA as a tool in guiding treatment.
“The DYNAMIC-III trial findings from the ctDNA-positive cohort represent a significant step forward in understanding the role of ctDNA in guiding colon cancer treatment, even if the primary outcome for treatment escalation wasn’t what was hoped for,” says Jeanne.
“DYNAMIC-III sparked significant interest among ASCO delegates, confirming ctDNA’s crucial role in identifying high-risk colon cancer patients. While current intensified chemotherapy didn’t improve outcomes for these patients, the trial result was impactful, highlighting the urgent need for new, more effective treatments.”
The DYNAMIC-III study was conducted in partnership with Canadian Cancer Trials Group.
NEO-IMPACT poster presentation
The NEO-IMPACT pancreatic cancer study was presented as a poster this year.
“It is the first study to report outcomes from the addition of immunotherapy to chemotherapy before surgery for patients with operable pancreatic cancer,” says Professor Lorraine Chantrill, NEO-IMPACT Study Chair.
“This is an early release of preliminary results. The study met its primary endpoint – the number of patients successfully having surgery – and this abstract details the outcomes from surgery. At this stage, the recurrence and overall survival results are immature.”
NEO-IMPACT is a pilot study investigating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of using chemotherapy (mFOLFIRINOX) in combination with immunotherapy (durvalumab) prior to surgery in people diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer. The findings have been met with encouragement.
“This study tells us that this approach is very unlikely to be harmful. In fact, doing things this way may be very beneficial for patients with this stage of pancreatic cancer.”
As for next steps, the team hopes to do a larger study, following interest received at the Meeting. “We are very encouraged to do a larger and more definitive randomised study, and are hoping to collaborate with international partners to do a larger study of treatments in the perioperative setting for patients with this disease.”
STOPNET poster presentation
STOPNET was also presented as a poster at the 2025 Meeting.
We are thrilled that STOPNET was presented at ASCO this year. Opening in 2024, the NETs study is the first study coordinated by the AGITG Clinical Research Centre.
STOPNET is led by Associate Professor Matthew Burge and is investigating the cessation of somatostatin analogues (SSA) for patients who have commenced peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). It will compare progression-free survival, cost effectiveness, and overall quality of life of patients who continue SSA therapy to those of patients who cease SSA therapy prior to PRRT initiation.
The trial is currently open and recruiting across Australia and Canada, conducted in collaboration with Canadian Cancer Trials Group. It is also the first trial to come under the Commonwealth Neuroendocrine Tumour research collaborative (CommNETs).
CHALLENGE presented at Clinical Science Symposium
CHALLENGE, an AGITG endorsed study, was also presented at ASCO as part of the Clinical Science Symposium.
The study found that a 3-year structured exercise program initiated shortly after completion of adjuvant chemotherapy improved disease-free survival, overall survival, patient-reported physical functioning, and health-related fitness for patients with colon cancer.
Prof Haryana Dhillon, 2023 recipient of the John Zalcberg AO Award and Australian Study Chair of CHALLENGE alongside Professor Janette Vardy, calls the trial “a big part of our lives since 2007”.
“We had a lot of epidemiological data suggesting that aerobic exercise prevented colon cancer and in those already treated for it, reduced recurrences, but there was no randomised evidence to demonstrate the effect on disease-free and overall survival, which we knew would be very important if we were to get colon cancer treatment guidelines around the world to recommend exercise.”
Barriers for the trial included the need for early involvement of accredited exercise physiologists and physiotherapists, training to deliver the intervention and fitness assessments, and regular supervision for protocol.
“There is no doubt these results should be implemented into routine clinical practice,” says Haryana.
“While we don’t have the same level 1 evidence for exercise improving cancer outcomes in other tumour types, we certainly know people will recover better and with fewer symptoms and side effects if they are exercising. If exercise was a drug or a pill, we’d be clamouring for it to be on the PBS for everyone to access.
“We now need to complete the health economic analysis and advocate for policy change so funding for accredited exercise physiologists is considered as part of cancer care.”
Themes on community involvement in cancer research
Deputy Chair of the AGITG Community Advisory Panel (CAP), Jodie Collins, was awarded a scholarship to attend the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, through the Conquer Cancer Patient Advocate Award Program.
“From what I observed at ASCO, I believe AGITG is on track with CAP and community input into research,” says Jodie.
“GI cancer advocacy seemed underrepresented in the Patient Advocate Lounge, though this may not reflect the broader US landscape.
“Still, it does reinforce how important AGITG’s efforts are in ensuring consumer voices are heard in GI cancer research. Maybe in the future it would be beneficial to connecting with international GI advocacy groups attending to encourage more shared perspectives.”
Jodie identified three key themes in community involvement in research presented at ASCO 2025. The first was meaningful leadership engagement with advocates.
“ASCO President-Elect Dr Eric Small’s openness to hearing the lived experiences of patients and his expressed support for embedding advocacy more deeply within ASCO’s structures sent a strong message: patients are not just the reason for the work, we are also partners in it.”
She also noted a strong focus on survivorship, policies and supportive care. “It was encouraging to see survivorship elevated beyond clinical endpoints, with attention given to real-world challenges faced by patients post-treatment, like access to care, late effects, employment, and quality of life.
“The sessions on policy, services, and survivorship pathways showed that ASCO is moving toward a model that values long-term well-being as much as initial treatment outcomes. This signals a maturing of oncology that increasingly reflects patient priorities.
“One patient stated, ‘There are three big buckets of survivorship: physical, emotional, and financial.’”
Jodie also emphasised the diversity of voices, especially on stage. “The diversity of speakers from ethnicity and gender to geography, and lived experience, was not only refreshing but essential. Including patient voices alongside clinicians and researchers helps science stay rooted in real-world impact.”