We recently attended the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting—one of the world’s largest gatherings dedicated to advancing cancer care. This year’s event showcased a wave of innovation aimed at making cancer care more personal, precise, and proactive. Among the thousands of studies presented, a few in particular stood out to us at MiraKind:
Managing the Side Effects of Immunotherapy Across All Care Settings
One of the standout education sessions at ASCO 2025 focused on a growing issue in cancer treatment: how to manage the side effects of immunotherapy. These side effects, known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs), arise when the immune system, activated by treatments to attack cancer, also begins attacking healthy tissues and organs—causing inflammation and damage that can occur anywhere in the body, regardless of the tumor’s location. As these therapies become more widely used, especially outside of large academic centers, the need for consistent, collaborative care is more important than ever.
Here are the key points from the session:
- Side Effects Are Often Tricky and Serious
- Immunotherapy can cause inflammation in virtually any organ, and symptoms aren’t always easy to spot. Some can be life-threatening if not caught early, while others may linger and require long-term management.
- It Takes a Team
- Managing these side effects isn’t just the job of oncologists. Primary care providers, emergency physicians, nurses, and other specialists all play a role—especially in community settings, where resources and coordination can be more limited.
- New Tools Are Helping
- Speakers shared practical strategies already in use, like electronic alerts that flag patients recently treated with immunotherapy and prompt clinicians to consider irAEs when symptoms appear.
- Education Is a Priority
- Whether it’s through in-house training, telehealth consults, or national networks, better education for the entire cancer care team—including pharmacists and nurses—is key to improving outcomes.
- Building Better Connections
- New programs are bringing together clinicians, researchers, and even patients to share experiences and strengthen the support system surrounding irAE care.
The session drove home a clear message: to fully realize the promise of immunotherapy, we need systems in place that can handle its complexities—no matter where a patient is being treated.
Given these complexities, advances in predictive tools are greatly needed to support clinicians and patients. This is where we believe mirSNP research fits in. The development of new genetic models using mirSNPs helps predict which patients are likely to experience these side effects and when. By identifying those at higher risk ahead of time, cancer care teams could step in earlier, manage problems before they become severe, and help more patients avoid these complications of immunotherapy. To read about Dr. Weidhaas’s collaborative research with UCLA on mirSNPs and their use as a predictive tool for irAEs, read our latest blog.
Learn more about how clinical communities are working together to manage irAEs.
Guided Test Helps Personalize Breast Cancer Treatment
In advanced breast cancer, a new targeted drug is showing promise for a common form of the disease—estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative cancer—by helping to identify patients who need a different form of anti-estrogen therapy.
In the advanced stage, the disease is typically treated with a combination of CDK inhibitors, which halt cell proliferation, and anti-estrogen therapy, which lowers estrogen levels to prevent the hormone from supporting tumor growth. However, in about 40% of patients with advanced ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, the ESR1 gene—the gene encoding the estrogen receptor—mutates or changes during treatment.1 This mutation causes the receptor to remain active even when estrogen is blocked, allowing the cancer to continue growing despite anti-estrogen therapy.
In a recent clinical trial showcased at ASCO, researchers used a blood test to detect ESR1 mutations early in treatment. When the mutation was found, patients were switched from standard anti-estrogen therapy to a drug called camizestrant. This drug works by blocking and breaking down the estrogen receptor, including its mutated form.
Patients who made this early switch experienced a slower progression of their cancer compared to those who remained on standard treatment. These results suggest that using blood tests to look for mutations to guide treatment could lead to improvement in outcomes for many people with this type of breast cancer.
Exercise as Medicine
A major international study has found that exercise after cancer treatment lowers the chances of the cancer returning and reduces the risk of death. And we are not talking about a large amount of exercise; rather, about any type performed 3 to 4 times a week for about 45 to 60 minutes.
The trial followed nearly 900 colon cancer patients across six countries for ten years and showed those who followed a guided exercise program had a 37% lower risk of death and a 28% lower risk of new or returning cancer compared to those who only received general health advice.
This research is the first of its kind that offers clear evidence that physical activity can improve long-term health after cancer, suggesting exercise should be a regular part of cancer care alongside medical treatments.
Closing Thoughts
ASCO 2025 highlighted real progress in how we approach cancer care. Alongside studies on targeted drugs, early detection, and the role of exercise, the message is clear: cancer care is becoming more focused, more informed, and more supportive of life during and after treatment.
Read this post to learn about the studies presented by Dr. Joanne Weidhaas at ASCO 2025.
References
- Chaudhary N, et al. CDK4/6i-treated HR+/HER2- breast cancer tumors show higher ESR1 mutation prevalence and more altered genomic landscape. npj Breast Cancer 10, 15 (2024).
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