Breakthrough Clinical Results
Bristol Myers Squibb announced the presentation of data from over 80 studies at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting. The data covers more than 20 cancer types and highlights results from various drugs across its oncology portfolio and pipeline. Key presentations include long-term survival data for Opdivo in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), updated survival results for Reblozyl in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and data on novel agents like BMS-986504, a PRMT5 inhibitor. The company emphasizes its commitment to advancing novel approaches to address unmet needs in cancer and improving patient outcomes.
Key Highlights
- Presentation of data from over 80 company-sponsored and investigator-sponsored studies across 20+ cancer types at ASCO 2025.
- Long-term survival data for Opdivo (nivolumab) in NSCLC and updated survival results for Reblozyl (luspatercept-aamt) in MDS.
- Data on BMS-986504, a potential first-in-class PRMT5 inhibitor, and other novel agents in the oncology pipeline.
- Focus on earlier lines of treatment and improved patient outcomes.
Incidence and Prevalence
Global Cancer Incidence and Prevalence: Latest Estimates
According to GLOBOCAN 2020, breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer to become the leading malignancy globally, posing a serious threat to women's health. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, accounting for 25.1% of all cancers globally.
Global Cancer Incidence
- In China, the age-standardized incidence rate of breast cancer reached 39.1 per 100,000 in 2020, with 416,000 new cases, accounting for 18.4% of global breast cancer burden.
- According to GLOBOCAN 2012, an estimated 1,671,149 new cases of breast cancer were identified worldwide in 2012.
- Breast cancer incidence is higher in developed countries, while relative mortality is greatest in less developed countries.
- In China, lung cancer is the predominant type of cancer in males, while breast cancer is the main type in females.
- Gastrointestinal cancers (liver, stomach, and esophagus) are more common in China than in the USA.
- Four cancer sites in males (nasopharynx, esophagus, stomach, and liver) and six sites in females (nasopharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, and cervix uteri) showed higher cancer incidence rates in China than in the USA.
- In a study at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) in North Central Nigeria from 2011-2020, there were 2,430 confirmed cancer cases, with prostate cancer being the most common (18% of all cases), followed closely by breast cancer (16.6%).
- In Latvia, standardized prostate cancer incidence rates (per 100,000) increased from 18.9 in 1990 to 74.7 in 2012.
- Overall cancer incidence rates from 2009 to 2013 decreased by 2.3% per year in men but stabilized in women in the United States.
- In Africa, total rates for cancer are much lower than those of US Blacks, even allowing for under-reporting.
- Chief cancers in African populations are those of the esophagus, liver, and cervix.
- In Mali, stomach cancer is very common.
- Among South African Blacks, rates are rising slowly for "cancers of prosperity" - prostate, lung, breast, and colon-rectum.
Global Cancer Prevalence
- In Latvia, prostate cancer prevalence rates (per 100,000) increased from 69.9 in 1990 to 437.6 in 2012.
- Studies show that various ethnic and racial groups are affected differently by overall cancer incidence and mortality, with racial disparities evident for breast cancer survival and both prostate cancer incidence and survival.
Cancer Mortality Trends
- Overall cancer death rates from 2010 to 2014 decreased by 1.8% per year in men, by 1.4% per year in women, and by 1.6% per year in children in the United States.
- Death rates decreased for 11 of the 16 most common cancer types in men and for 13 of the 18 most common cancer types in women, including lung, colorectal, female breast, and prostate.
- Death rates increased for liver (men and women), pancreas (men), brain (men), and uterine cancers.
- According to GLOBOCAN 2012, 521,907 deaths due to breast cancer occurred worldwide in 2012.
- The adjusted relative risk of death for all cancers combined was 33% higher in non-Hispanic blacks and 51% higher in non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native compared with non-Hispanic whites.
Emerging Mechanism of Action
Emerging Mechanisms of Action for Cancer Treatment
Based on recent publications, several key mechanisms of action (MoA) are emerging for cancer treatment:
Growth Factor Receptor Inhibition
- EGFR-targeted therapies have shown utility in various cancer types
- Cetuximab is the most widely studied anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody
- Other monoclonal antibody agents under investigation include panitumumab, matuzumab, MDX-447, nimutozumab, and mAb806
- EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors include erlotinib, gefitinib, EKB-569, lapatinib, PKI-166, and canertinib
Innovative Therapeutic Approaches
- Photothermal and sonodynamic therapy uses sensitizers activated by light/ultrasound radiation to generate cytotoxic effects
- Black-titanium nanoparticles with iridium complexes and cancer cell membranes create a nanoplatform for targeted therapy
- These therapies can generate heat upon irradiation and catalytically form reactive oxygen species
- They selectively localize in mitochondria and preferentially accumulate in cancerous cells
Epigenetic Modulation
- Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition modulates cell proliferation and angiogenesis
- Up-regulated HDACs are present in many cancer types
- HDAC inhibitors can cause arrest of cell proliferation, angiogenesis reduction, and cell apoptosis
- Particularly effective in B-cell lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and virus-associated cancers
- HDAC2 inhibition pathway shows promise in hepatocellular carcinoma
Synergistic Treatment Approaches
- Multifunctional theranostic nanocomposites combining photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT)
- Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) and black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNS) show synergistic effects
- Combined therapies have shown significantly higher efficacy than either therapy alone
Immunotherapy Advances
- Cancer vaccination targeting antigens expressed by metastatic cancer cells and cancer stem cells
- Cripto-1, an oncofetal protein overexpressed in invasive breast cancer and cancer-initiating cells, is a promising target
- PD-1 signaling has been identified as a tumor suppressor in T cells, with recurrent inactivation in T cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas
Novel Signaling Pathway Targets
- The ANP/NPRA signaling pathway has emerged as significant in prostate, lung, skin, and ovarian cancers
- Down-regulation of NPRA induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells
- Androgen receptor (AR) is gaining attention as both a therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in breast cancer
- Expression of constitutively active truncated AR splice variants may contribute to treatment resistance
Metabolic Targeting
- Targeting redox metabolism and glutathione (GSH) pathway shows promise
- Cycloruthenated compounds target glutathione metabolism, an important drug resistance mechanism
- These compounds regulate enzymes of the transsulfuration pathway via the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) and ATF4
- PD-1 signaling suppresses T cell malignancy by restricting glycolytic energy and acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) production
Anti-Metastatic Approaches
- Non-anti-coagulant heparin (NAC heparin) shows anti-metastatic activity
- Mechanisms include inhibition of selectin-mediated cell-cell interactions, heparanase and angiogenesis
- NAC heparins have clinical potential at higher doses for anti-metastatic therapy
These emerging mechanisms represent promising avenues for developing more effective and targeted cancer therapies with potentially fewer side effects than traditional approaches.
Drug used in other indications
Based on the context provided, there is no information available about Opdivo (nivolumab) being trialed for indications other than cancer. The context only contains information about nivolumab's use in cancer treatments, specifically:
- Advanced gastric cancer (AGC) as demonstrated in the ATTRACTION-2 study
- Alpha-fetoprotein-producing gastric cancer (AFPGC) and hepatoid adenocarcinoma of stomach (HAS), where patients received PD-1 antibody (nivolumab) plus chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone or with Herceptin/Apatinib
For these cancer indications, the following intervention models were used:
- In the AFPGC/HAS study, patients received nivolumab plus chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone or with Herceptin/Apatinib
- Patients receiving nivolumab plus chemotherapy showed a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 22.0 months compared to 4.3 months in the control group
- The median overall survival (mOS) of patients receiving immunotherapy (nivolumab) was not reached, while the control group had an mOS of 16.0 months
No information is provided in the context about Opdivo (nivolumab) being trialed for non-cancer indications or intervention models for any non-cancer trials.