3 Quality-of-Life Results From ESMO 2026 Patients Should Know

Survival numbers get the headlines, but how people feel during and after treatment shapes daily life. At the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, held Oct. 23–27 in Madrid, three phase 3 trials focused on side effects and quality of life in throat cancer, kidney cancer and colorectal cancer. Unless noted, these results were presented at the meeting and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

1. Throat and Voice Box Cancer: Surgery and Radiation Left Similar Swallowing at 1 Year

The EORTC 1420 "Best-of" trial included 86 people with early-stage cancer of the oropharynx (the back of the throat, including the tonsils and base of the tongue), supraglottis (the upper part of the voice box) or hypopharynx (the lower throat). They were assigned to transoral surgery, in which the tumor is removed through the mouth, or to intensity-modulated radiation therapy planned to spare the muscles used for swallowing. One year later, swallowing scores on a standard patient questionnaire were similar, at 83 after surgery and 86 after radiation, where higher scores mean better swallowing. No one in either group needed a feeding tube at one year.

The side effects differed in type rather than amount. Serious treatment-related side effects occurred in 21% of each group, and there were no treatment-related deaths. Dry mouth was worse with radiation during the first six months. At two years, 84% of the surgery group and 72% of the radiation group were alive without the cancer returning, and 97% and 100% were alive, but the trial was small and was designed to compare swallowing, not survival. Both treatments are standard options in the United States.

2. Kidney Cancer: Imfinzi After Surgery Brought an Early Dip in Quality of Life

The RAMPART trial is testing immunotherapy after surgery for kidney cancer at intermediate to high risk of returning. A quality-of-life study within it compared 87 people who received Imfinzi (durvalumab) with 131 who were watched closely without treatment (active monitoring). At 16 weeks, people on Imfinzi reported worse overall health and quality of life, along with more fatigue, more loss of appetite and lower scores for daily roles and thinking. By 15 months, overall quality of life was no longer different, though thinking and appetite scores remained somewhat lower and constipation and shortness of breath were somewhat worse with Imfinzi.

The researchers called these findings exploratory, meaning they describe patterns but were not designed to prove them. Imfinzi is not FDA approved for use after kidney cancer surgery; Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is the immunotherapy approved in that setting. The results are a reminder that treatment after surgery has costs in how people feel, which belong in the conversation alongside its benefits.

3. Colorectal Cancer: A Two-Week Lonsurf-Avastin Schedule Cut Serious Drops in White Blood Cells

Lonsurf (trifluridine and tipiracil) plus Avastin (bevacizumab) is an approved option for metastatic colorectal cancer after other treatments stop working, as CURE has reported on adding Avastin to Lonsurf. The PRABITAS trial, conducted in Japan with 972 patients, compared the usual 28-day schedule with a 14-day schedule that spaces out the Lonsurf pills. Survival and the time before the cancer grew were similar with both schedules, with the cancer held in check for a median of 3.9 months in each group, and the shorter schedule met its goal of being not worse. The results were published in The Lancet.

The difference was in blood counts. Serious neutropenia, a drop in infection-fighting white blood cells, occurred in 13% of people on the 14-day schedule versus 39% on the standard schedule, and neutropenia with fever occurred in 1% versus 5%. Two treatment-related deaths occurred in the 14-day group. Both drugs are approved in the United States, so the alternative schedule is something oncologists can consider, though it is not the schedule on the drug label.

What's Still Unknown

The throat cancer trial was small, so the survival differences cannot be read as meaningful. The kidney cancer findings come from a substudy in the United Kingdom and Australia and were not adjusted for testing many outcomes at once. The colorectal trial was done in Japan, and doctors will consider how well its results apply to other patients.

What It Means for You

These trials show that two treatments with similar cancer results can feel very different to live with. If you are choosing between options, ask how each one is likely to affect swallowing, energy, appetite or blood counts, and how long those effects tend to last. Your priorities count in that decision, and your care team can help you weigh them.

Questions to Ask Your Care Team

• How are the side effects of my options different, even if the cancer results are similar?
• Which side effects are likely to be temporary, and which can last?
• Is there a different dosing schedule that would be easier on my body?
• How will we track my quality of life during treatment, and who do I tell when something changes?

References

1. Simon C, et al. "EORTC 1420 Best-of: transoral surgery vs dysphagia-optimised IMRT in early-stage oropharyngeal, supraglottic and hypopharyngeal carcinoma." Abstract 1535O. Presented at ESMO Congress 2026. Oct. 25, 2026.
2. "EORTC at ESMO 2026: New Findings and Ongoing Studies." EORTC. Oct. 27, 2026.
3. Merrick S, et al. "Patient-reported outcomes with adjuvant durvalumab in resected renal cell carcinoma: RAMPART." Abstract 3590RO. Presented at ESMO Congress 2026. Oct. 2026.
4. "14-day versus 28-day trifluridine-tipiracil plus bevacizumab for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (PRABITAS): a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3, non-inferiority trial in Japan." The Lancet. October 2026.

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