Roswell Park at ASCO 2026: GLP-1s and Aggressive Breast Cancer, CAR T in Older Adults, AI-Informed Benchmarking

Experts also present findings on factors limiting access to cancer clinical trials

The research findings of experts from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center will be featured during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting May 29 to June 2 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Every year the world’s largest clinical cancer research gathering attracts more than 45,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, scientists and patient advocates.

“Roswell Park’s physician-scientists are helping shape the future of cancer care,” says Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, Deputy Director and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Roswell Park. “The invitation to present their findings before this distinguished group reflects the quality and far-reaching impact of their work.”

Five highlighted presentations from Roswell Park faculty and fellows:

• GLP-1 receptor agonists are drugs widely used to lower blood sugar and promote weight loss — and a study presented by Zunairah Shah, MBBS, Fellow in Oncology/Hematology, indicates that they may have additional benefits related to breast cancer. Dr. Shah is first author of GLP-1 therapy and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer risk and survival: A real-world analysis (Abstract 10548, poster 509), which she will discuss Monday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT, in Hall A. Dr. Shah will present findings from large real-world study of non-diabetic, overweight/obese women with no prior breast cancer diagnosis, looking at whether GLP-1RA exposure is associated with any reduction in the risk of developing HR+/HER2? breast cancer — or with improved overall survival after diagnosis.
  
  
• CAR T-cell therapy has dramatically improved outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies and is beginning to make inroads against solid tumors, but barriers restrict patient recruitment to the clinical trials that will move the science ahead. Rahul Thakur, MD, Chief Administrative Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, will address the challenges posed by both geographic location and the number of regional institutions equipped to offer this treatment. He is first and presenting author of Assessment of CAR-T clinical trial availability and accessibility in the United States (Abstract 1558, poster 308). Ehsan Malek, MD, Associate Professor of Oncology and Director of Multiple Myeloma Translational Research, is senior author of the study, to be presented Saturday, May 30, 9 a.m.-noon CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Thakur is also first author of Geographic accessibility of recruiting clinical trials for rare and common gastrointestinal malignancies in the United States (Abstract 1540, poster 264). The study illustrates the fact that some 40 million adults live in clinical trial “deserts” where access to clinical trials for gastrointestinal malignancies is severely limited. Archit Patel, DO, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, will present the study Saturday, May 30, 9 a.m.-noon CDT in Hall A.
  
  
• Jayasree Krishnan, MBBS, is first author of the study CAR-T in the older adults: Real-world survival and toxicity in patients ? 75 years with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (Abstract 7541, poster 420). The team looked at whether patients 75 and older who received B-cell-directed CAR T-cell therapy experienced higher rates of cytokine release syndrome or other adverse responses. Krishnan will present the team’s findings Monday, June 1, 9 a.m.-noon CDT in Hall A. Hamza Hassan, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, and Jens Hillengass, MD, PhD, Professor of Oncology and Internal Medicine, both from Roswell Park’s myeloma/amyloidosis team, are co-senior authors.
  
  
• Artificial intelligence (AI) systems called large language models are increasingly used in the breast cancer field to synthesize and interpret large amounts of information to assist in decisions about diagnosis and treatment. Reproducible benchmarking is a way to gauge their accuracy, but so far, use of this critical double-check process has been limited. Mariam Haji Ahmad, MBBCh, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, will discuss her team’s evaluation of four large language models in the study Standardized Exam-Style Benchmarking of Large Language Models in Breast Cancer Clinical Decision-Making (Abstract 553, poster 38). Dr. Haji Ahmad, first author, will present the study Monday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT in Hall A. Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine and Director of Breast Translational Research, is senior author.

Dr. Eunice Wang Invited to Discuss FDA-Approved Drugs for Relapsed/Refractory AML

Eunice Wang, MD, Chief of Leukemia, will give an invited opening-day presentation on Ziftomenib and Revumenib for Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia as part of the New Drugs in Oncology: Incorporation into Practice educational session Friday, May 29, from 3:45-3:55 p.m. CDT. Dr. Wang will discuss these recently FDA-approved agents, providing details for clinicians about safe dosage, potential adverse events and how to manage them, and other important factors to consider. FDA approval of ziftomenib for AML in patients with a particular gene mutation — NPM1 alteration — was based on the results of a clinical trial co-led by Dr. Wang.  

Five Fellows Honored for Research Contributions

Five Roswell Park Fellows will be honored with 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Awards, presented by Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, in recognition of their research and contributions to cancer care. The honorees are all trainees who are first authors on abstracts chosen for presentation at the ASCO annual meeting: Vaishali Deenadayalan, MBBS; Yu Fujiwara, MD; Fayaz Aijaz Ahmed Khan, MBBS; Jayasree Krishnan, MBBS; and Zunairah Shah, MBBS.

Other Featured Roswell Park Research

Saturday, May 30, 9 a.m.-noon CDT, Hall A

• Mrinalini Ramesh, DO, University at Buffalo/Roswell Park resident physician, is first and presenting author of Hospital designation and survival disparities in young-onset gastrointestinal cancer (Abstract 1535, poster 259).

Saturday, May 30, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT, Hall A

• Prantesh Jain, MD, FACP, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Medicine, is senior author of A phase 1b, two-arm study of tolododekin alfa (ANK-101) in combination with an anti–PD-1/PD-L1 antibody in participants with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Abstract TPS2678, poster 461b).
  
  
• Fayaz Aijaz Ahmed Khan, MBBS, Chief Hospice and Palliative Care Fellow, is first author of Prophylactic vs reactive PEG tube placement in early-stage head and neck (H&N) cancer treated with curative-intent radiotherapy: Balancing benefit and burden in real-world practice (Abstract 12150, Poster 133). Rebecca Calabrese, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Staff/Attending Physician, Department of Supportive and Palliative Care, is senior author.

Saturday, May 30, 4:30-6 p.m. CDT, E451

• Michael Wong, MD, PhD, FRPC, Professor of Oncology, will present the rapid oral abstract A 3-year landmark overall survival analysis of RP1 plus nivolumab in patients with anti–PD-1–failed melanoma from the IGNYTE clinical trial (Abstract 9518).

Monday, June 1, 9 a.m.-noon CDT, Hall A

• Yu Fujiwara, MD, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, is first author of Safety and efficacy of immunotherapy rechallenge in solid tumors after discontinuation of immune checkpoint inhibitors for immune-related adverse events: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Abstract 11127, poster 110).
  
  
• Fayaz Aijaz Ahmed Khan, MBBS,Chief Hospice and Palliative Care Fellow, is first author of Pre-lymphodepletion CRP and ferritin risk stratification as a predictor of early immune toxicities and hematologic complications after CAR-T therapy: A propensity-matched cohort study (Abstract 7030, poster 528). Marco Davila, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Associate Director for Translational Research and Chief of Lymphoma/Multiple Myeloma, is senior author.

Monday, June 1, 1:30-4:30 p.m. CDT, Hall A

• Vaishali Deenadayalan, MBBS, is first/presenting author of Impact of protein–energy malnutrition on outcomes of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: A real-world analysis (Abstract 1135, poster 249).

• Mariam Haji Ahmad, MBBCh, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology  Standardized Exam-Style Benchmarking of Large Language Models in Breast Cancer Clinical Decision-Making (Abstract 553, poster 38). Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine and Director of Breast Translational Research, is senior author.
• Olivia Martin, MD, MS, Fellow in Surgical Oncology, is first author of Cell proliferation, immune cell infiltration, and survival outcomes in sarcomas with high cancer-associated fibroblast expression (Abstract 11541, poster 331). Ankit Patel, MD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Surgical Oncology, is senior author.
• Masanori Oshi, MD, Postdoctoral Research Scholar in Breast Surgery, is first author of ILCness to stratify lobular-like breast cancer biology and as an outcome independent of CDH1 mutation in early ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer (Abstract 576, poster 61). Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO, Chief of Breast Surgery, is senior author.
• Zunairah Shah, MBBS, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, is first/presenting author of Real-World Brain Metastasis Outcomes with Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (T-DXd) Versus Tucatinib-Based Therapy in Second-Line HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer (Abstract 1051, poster 165). Sheheryar Kabraji, BMBCh, Chief of Breast Medicine and Director of Breast Translational Research, is senior author.

Lung surgeon onsite for NSF Innovation Corps program

Thoracic surgeon Todd Demmy, MD, FACS, will be onsite at ASCO 2026, participating in the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, an immersive, entrepreneurial training program that facilitates the transformation of invention to impact.