The ESMO Congress 2026 was grandly held in Madrid, Spain, from October 23 to 27. As one of the world’s most influential top oncology conferences, ESMO 2026 serves as a high-level international academic exchange platform. It brings together clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, journalists and healthcare industry representatives from across the globe to share the latest advances in oncology and explore cutting-edge breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Multiple studies from China once again took the spotlight at this congress. Among them, a multicenter single-arm trial led by Prof. Guiling Li from Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, evaluating enlonstobart combined with weekly chemotherapy (induction phase) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer, was accepted for presentation. The study presents updated efficacy and safety data of this regimen in patients with cervical cancer. A systematic interpretation of the study is provided below:

Study Interpretation

Background:

This multicenter, single-arm clinical study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of induction therapy with immunotherapy plus chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), and to explore the feasibility of reduced radiotherapy dose among patients with marked tumor regression.

Study Design:

Eligible patients had previously untreated cervical cancer, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0–2, and FIGO 2018 stage IIB or IIIA–IVA disease. The study consisted of three phases: induction phase, radiotherapy phase and maintenance phase (see Figure 1).

• Induction phase: All patients received enlonstobart (360 mg, once every 3 weeks for 2 cycles) combined with a weekly chemotherapy regimen of nab-paclitaxel plus cisplatin or carboplatin. The investigator decided whether to add bevacizumab based on individual patient characteristics.

• Radiotherapy phase: Patients received enlonstobart (360 mg, once every 3 weeks) together with cisplatin or carboplatin. Radiotherapy comprised external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) followed by brachytherapy.

• Maintenance phase: Enlonstobart (360 mg, once every 3 weeks) was administered for up to 1 year.

The primary endpoint was the 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), PFS, overall survival (OS) and safety profile.

As of April 15, 2026, a total of 40 patients were enrolled and received treatment. The median age was 56.0 years (range: 42.0–72.0). Among these patients, 8 (20.0%) had stage IIB disease and 32 (80.0%) had stage IIIA–IVA disease (see Table 1).

At the data cutoff, 39 and 38 patients underwent at least one tumor assessment after the induction phase and radiotherapy phase, respectively. Among patients who completed induction therapy, the complete response rate (CRR) was 59.0% and the ORR was 100%. Post-induction biopsies were performed in 29 patients, of whom 72.4% showed no residual cancer cells. Based on induction-phase responses, 57.5% of patients received reduced subsequent radiotherapy dose of 46.8 Gy in 26 fractions plus 6 Gy × 4 fractions, with an EQD2 of 78.02 Gy. After completion of radiotherapy, the CRR was 81.6% and the ORR remained 100% (see Table 2). With a median follow-up of 10.6 months, median PFS and median OS had not been reached. The 1-year PFS rate was 87.8%, and all patients were alive at the data cutoff. In terms of safety, the incidence of grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) was 72.5%, mainly leukopenia (47.5%), neutropenia (47.5%) and thrombocytopenia (17.5%). Overall, the safety profile of this regimen was manageable with supportive care.

Conclusions:

Enlonstobart‑based immunochemotherapy induction followed by immunotherapy‑concurrent chemoradiotherapy and subsequent immunotherapy maintenance demonstrates favorable efficacy and a manageable safety profile in patients with LACC. Furthermore, deep tumor regression during the induction phase makes subsequent radiotherapy dose reduction feasible, which may represent a direction for future treatment optimization.