Below are summaries of ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) presentations at the annual meetings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). Follow the links to access the meeting abstracts. 

Brain Cancer – A promising treatment response biomarker for aggressive glioblastoma

• EAF151 is the first multicenter clinical trial to demonstrate the prognostic significance of relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (rGBM) treated with bevacizumab. Despite its approval for rGBM in 2009, trials have not consistently demonstrated survival benefits, and there are no validated biomarkers to identify patient subgroups that respond to the treatment. The EAF151 trial assessed rCBV using DSC-MRI scans before treatment and after 2 weeks, providing faster evaluations than the traditional 3-month period. While changes in rCBV were not predictive, baseline and early post-treatment markers correlated with overall survival. These findings indicate that rCBV identifies patients with prolonged survival and support further evaluation of its use as a biomarker to inform treatment decisions in future studies. Link to ASCO Abstract 2016.

Breast Cancer – An imaging breakthrough for bone-dominant metastatic breast cancer

• The FEATURE (EA1183) imaging study solved a long-standing gap in the care of patients with metastatic breast cancer: evaluating the effectiveness of systemic treatments when cancer has spread to the bones. While standard imaging tests, such as CT scans and MRIs, can detect bone metastases, they cannot reliably assess treatment response. As a result, patients and clinicians must wait for signs of late-stage disease progression. The FEATURE trial assessed the performance of serial FDG-PET/CT, which shows breast cancer metabolic activity, using specialized response criteria called mPERCIST to define categories of response (complete, partial, stable, or progressive).
  
  In December 2025, initial findings showed that patients with metabolic response, defined as a decrease in FDG uptake, without progressive metabolic disease (non-PMD) at 12 weeks after treatment initiation, had a median progression-free survival of 1.6 years (19.4 months), compared with a mere 3 months in those with PMD, which supports the use of serial FGD-PET/CT to define response to therapy. A recent secondary analysis found that FDG-PET/CT obtained just 4 weeks after starting treatment could also predict progression-free survival with similar accuracy to the 12-week data. These results support the use of serial FDG-PET/CT to assess treatment effectiveness sooner, and also expand access to clinical trials for patients who are often excluded because conventional response criteria classify bone lesions as non-measurable. Link to SNMMI Abstract 261139.

Breast Cancer – Innovative AI-based risk assessment tools from the landmark TAILORx trial

• The 21-gene Recurrence Score (RS) is a key tool for assessing the risk of recurrence in patients with early-stage breast cancer that is hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and HER2-negative (HER2-). While it provides valuable information, patient outcomes can vary even within the same RS categories, and access to such testing is often limited in places with fewer resources.
  
  To address these issues, three research teams introduced new AI-based tools that focus on digital pathology. These tools aim to develop more precise and cost-effective tests to help physicians optimize treatment strategies for these patients. They use deep learning technology to analyze tumor features from routine biopsy images, along with clinical details such as the patient’s age, tumor size, and lymph node involvement. Their effectiveness was validated using specimens from ECOG-ACRIN’s groundbreaking TAILORx breast cancer trial, one of the world’s largest breast cancer research resources.
  • Prediction of recurrence risk (RlapsRisk BC): Link to ASCO Abstract 554.
  • Risk stratification (Stratipath Breast): Link to ASCO Abstract 555.
  • Prediction of chemotherapy benefit in pre- and peri-menopausal women with RS 16–25: Link to ASCO Abstract 602.

Kidney Cancer – Estimating risk of relapse to inform future clinical trials

• This analysis explored relationships between clinical stage, pathological stage, and disease-free survival in renal cell carcinoma, utilizing data from the PROSPER (EA8143) trial. The goal is to inform the design of future trials of neoadjuvant treatments. Link to Abstract ASCO 4540.

Lung Cancer – The latest results from the ALCHEMIST program  

• The results of study EA5142 demonstrate that in patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer (≥4cm or LN+, EGFR/ALK-), post-surgery treatment with nivolumab did not improve disease-free survival, irrespective of tumor PD-L1 expression. Link to Abstract ASCO 8000.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma – An update from the STAMP trial 

• The initial findings from the STAMP (EA6174) trial provided the first evidence that immunotherapy with pembrolizumab after surgery may help people with Merkel cell carcinoma by preventing their cancer from returning in organs considered distant from the site of the original disease. At ASCO, researchers presented new analyses of Merkel cell carcinoma-specific outcomes and radiation therapy effects. Link to Abstract ASCO LBA9505. 

Precision Oncology – Promising biomarkers

• Comprehensive genomic profiling of matched ctDNA and tissue from patients with four common cancers enrolled in the NCI-MATCH trial. Link to ASCO Abstract 3045.
• Spatial transcriptomics–guided computational pathology model to stratify docetaxel benefit in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: CHAARTED trial (ECOG-ACRIN E3805). Link to Abstract ASCO 5002.
• Validation of melanoma immune profile (MIP), a previously defined immunogenomic signature, to predict relapse-free survival in stage 2-3 melanoma, utilizing resources from the E1697 trial of adjuvant interferon. Link to Abstract ASCO e21596.
• Clinical utility of discordances between histomorphology and molecular biomarkers in precision oncology. Link to Abstract ASCO 3005.

Active Clinical Trials Featured at ASCO

• Bladder Cancer – EA8231. Link to Abstract TPS4641.
• Gastric Cancer – STOPGAP II (EA2234). Link to Abstract TPS4241.
• Melanoma – EA6232 for the prevention of recurrence. Link to Abstract TPS9611.
• Lung Cancer – ACHIEVE (EA5221) for geriatric patients. Link to Abstract TPS8674.

This research was supported primarily by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. View the details of each abstract for specific research funding information.