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News
Two experimental antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting B7-H3 — risvutatug rezetecan and tambotatug pelitecan — dramatically outperformed standard chemotherapy in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Both drugs cut the risk of death by 54% compared to topotecan, with median overall survival nearly doubling in some cases. Experts say ADCs may soon become the new second-line standard of care for SCLC.
Two phase 3 trials presented at the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Seoul delivered striking results for patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) — a disease with historically limited treatment options. Both risvutatug rezetecan (ris-rez, ARTEMIS-008 trial) and tambotatug pelitecan (Tam-Peli, TAISHAN-302 trial) are B7-H3-directed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that significantly outperformed topotecan, the current standard second-line chemotherapy.
In ARTEMIS-008, ris-rez nearly doubled median overall survival (18.5 vs. 10.3 months), while TAISHAN-302 showed Tam-Peli extended survival to 13.3 vs. 9.4 months compared with topotecan. Both drugs also showed far superior response rates and progression-free survival. Importantly, both had lower rates of severe treatment-related adverse events than topotecan, though interstitial lung disease was more common with the ADCs.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These results signal a potential paradigm shift in SCLC treatment. With a third B7-H3-directed ADC already under FDA priority review, experts predict ADCs will replace chemotherapy as the go-to second-line — and possibly even first-line — therapy for SCLC within the next few years.
