Merck announced new clinical trial data for genitourinary cancer treatments to be presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium from February 26-28. Three studies will be featured in the symposium’s press program, highlighting advances in bladder and kidney cancer treatment.
Late-breaking data from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-B15/EV-304 trial show that KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) plus Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) significantly improved event-free survival, overall survival, and pathologic complete response rates for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are eligible for cisplatin. Results from the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 LITESPARK-022 trial highlight the disease-free survival benefit of KEYTRUDA in combination with WELIREG (belzutifan), Merck’s first-in-class oral hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) inhibitor, as treatment for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following nephrectomy. First presentation of data from the Phase 3 LITESPARK-011 trial shows progression-free survival benefits of WELIREG plus LENVIMA (lenvatinib), an orally available multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, as treatment for patients with advanced RCC whose disease progressed on or after anti-PD-1/L1 therapy.
Broader Research Program
Merck’s broader clinical development program includes more than 50 trials evaluating more than 22,000 patients globally for genitourinary cancers. The company is investigating multiple portfolio medicines and pipeline assets across various disease stages. Genitourinary cancers account for an estimated 2.6 million new diagnoses annually worldwide, equaling over 1 in 8 of all cancer incidences.
Additional data will be presented for sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT), an investigational antibody-drug conjugate being developed with Kelun-Biotech. Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology in global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, stated that the company is “excited to share new results from our portfolio and pipeline for more patients with certain types of bladder and kidney cancers.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.merck.com/news/merck-advances-treatment-of-bladder-and-kidney-cancers-with-new-data-at-2026-asco-gu-cancers-symposium/