Four oncology papers from the past week
For healthcare professionals. Educational summaries of published literature; not patient-specific medical advice. Always consult the original publication. All four summaries below were written from the published abstract only — full text was not accessed.
Adjuvant radiotherapy after resection of atypical meningioma (ROAM/EORTC-1308)
This international, open-label phase 3 trial asked whether adjuvant radiotherapy reduces recurrence after complete surgical resection of WHO grade 2 (atypical) meningioma, compared with observation alone. 157 adults were randomized 1:1 across 58 centers in 11 countries — fewer than the original recruitment target, which limits statistical power. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (recurrence or death): 5-year DFS was 79.9% (95% CI 67.6–87.9) with radiotherapy versus 64.3% (95% CI 51.9–74.2) with observation — HR 0.51 (95% CI 0.27–0.97), p=0.0396.
DFS HR 0.51 (95% CI 0.27–0.97), p=0.0396 · n=157
Limitation: underenrollment relative to the original target reduces the precision of this estimate — the confidence interval is wide and approaches 1.
Takeaway: the first phase 3 evidence of a disease-free-survival benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy in resected atypical meningioma, though the modest sample size warrants cautious interpretation pending confirmatory data or guideline uptake.
Jenkinson MD, et al. The Lancet. 2026;408(10563):1473-1484. Abstract only. PubMed · DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01804-0
Metastasis-directed ablation in oligometastatic breast cancer (NRG-BR002)
This randomized phase II/III trial (phase II portion reported here) tested whether adding stereotactic ablative radiotherapy or surgical ablation of all visible metastases to first-line systemic therapy improves outcomes in oligometastatic breast cancer (≤4 lesions, controlled primary, no progression after up to 12 months of systemic therapy). 129 patients were enrolled (125 analyzed) in the US/Canada, randomized 1:1. The primary endpoint, progression-free survival, showed no benefit: median PFS 23.0 months with systemic therapy alone versus 19.5 months with added ablation — HR 0.92 (95% CI 0.57–1.47), one-sided p=0.36. Overall survival was similarly not significant (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.60–1.89).
PFS HR 0.92 (95% CI 0.57–1.47), p=0.36 (not significant) · n=125 analyzed
Limitation: small subgroup sizes; the phase III portion was not pursued given the negative phase II signal.
Takeaway: this trial does not support adding metastasis-directed ablation to first-line systemic therapy in oligometastatic breast cancer outside a clinical trial.
Chmura SJ, et al. J Clin Oncol. Published online 2026 Oct 7. Abstract only. PubMed · DOI 10.1200/JCO-26-00201
Tomosynthesis versus digital mammography screening, 24-month follow-up (TOSYMA)
This large, multicenter, open-label superiority trial in a German population-based screening program (women aged 50–70, median 57) compared digital breast tomosynthesis plus synthesized mammography against standard digital mammography. Nearly 100,000 women were enrolled (99,558 analyzed). The primary endpoint — invasive interval cancer rate at 24 months — was numerically lower with tomosynthesis (14.2 vs. 18.6 per 10,000) but did not reach statistical significance: adjusted odds ratio 0.76 (95% CI 0.55–1.06), p=0.11. A secondary 12-month analysis had shown a significant difference (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52–0.97).
24-month interval cancer OR 0.76 (95% CI 0.55–1.06), p=0.11 (not significant) · n=99,558
Limitation: despite a very large sample, the primary 24-month endpoint did not reach significance, in contrast to an earlier, significant 12-month secondary analysis — the two time points give a mixed signal.
Takeaway: longer follow-up tempers the earlier 12-month signal favoring tomosynthesis; this alone is unlikely to change screening protocols pending further data.
Weigel S, et al. Lancet Oncol. Published online 2026 Oct 9. Abstract only. PubMed · DOI 10.1016/S1470-2045(26)00341-4
Cryotherapy for prevention of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (CryoPac)
This randomized trial tested whether cryotherapy (frozen gloves/socks worn during taxane infusion) reduces chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in patients with performance status 0–1 and no baseline neuropathy. 268 patients were randomized; 217 were analyzed after 51 dropouts (123 cryotherapy, 94 usual care). The primary endpoint — CIPN incidence (Total Neuropathy Score ≥2) at end of treatment — was numerically lower with cryotherapy (74% vs. 84%) but did not reach significance (p=0.071). Secondary sensory measures, such as foot numbness, did favor cryotherapy (p=0.0005).
CIPN incidence 74% vs. 84%, p=0.071 (not significant on primary endpoint) · n=217 analyzed
Limitation: the primary endpoint was not met, and only 67% of patients were compliant with the cryotherapy protocol, which may have diluted any true effect.
Takeaway: a numerical but not statistically significant reduction in CIPN; the positive secondary sensory findings are hypothesis-generating rather than practice-changing on their own.
Lendorf ME, et al. Ann Oncol. Published online 2026 Oct 6. Abstract only. PubMed · DOI 10.1016/j.annonc.2026.09.014
Last reviewed: October 12, 2026
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Independent summaries of published abstracts. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the authors or journals. Data as published; verify against the original article before clinical use.