Caris Life Sciences Advances Precision Oncology at WCLC

Irving, Texas, USA, September 2, 2026

Caris Studies Biomarkers in NSCLC

Among the featured presentations, one study analyzed 39,124 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples to investigate the relationship between PRMT5 expression and MTAP deletion, as well as overall survival and immune-cell composition. The analysis found that MTAP-deleted tumors had higher PRMT5 expression, while tumors characterized by both high PRMT5 expression and MTAP deletion were associated with the shortest overall survival across molecular subtypes. In patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitors, this molecular profile was also associated with shorter survival. Researchers further observed fewer CD8+ T cells and other adaptive immune cells in PRMT5-high/MTAP-deleted tumors, suggesting that this molecular subgroup may have a less favorable immune microenvironment. A second mini oral presentation examined immunotherapy biomarkers, tumor microenvironment composition and survival outcomes across racial and ethnic groups using 43,261 NSCLC samples. The research identified differences in tumor genomics, immune microenvironment characteristics and clinical outcomes among patient populations. According to the analysis, non-Hispanic Asian Pacific Islander patients demonstrated longer overall survival and fewer genomic alterations associated with immunotherapy resistance than non-Hispanic White patients. Among patients receiving immunotherapy, non-Hispanic Black patients showed longer survival despite having a higher prevalence of molecular alterations associated with resistance. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating diverse patient populations and molecular characteristics into precision cancer research.

Transcriptomic Profiling Supports Personalized Treatment

Caris will also present research investigating transcriptomic subtypes in mesothelioma, using data from 386 pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma samples. Researchers identified three biologically distinct clusters with different molecular characteristics and treatment outcomes. In two of the three clusters, chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab, was associated with longer overall survival than immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. The researchers noted that prospective validation would be necessary before these transcriptomic classifications could be used to guide treatment decisions, but the findings suggest that molecular subtyping could eventually contribute to more personalized therapeutic strategies for mesothelioma. Additional poster presentations will examine the role of germline genetics and genomic profiling in thoracic cancers. Analysis of 3,609 NSCLC patients identified clinically relevant germline alterations in 12.2% of patients, with frequently altered genes including MUTYH, CHEK2, ATM, BRCA2 and MITF. A separate analysis of small cell lung cancer identified clinically relevant germline alterations in 13.4% of 149 patients with germline findings. These studies highlight the potential value of integrating germline and tumor sequencing to provide a more comprehensive view of cancer-associated genomic changes.

Caris Expands AI-Driven Precision Oncology Research

Caris will additionally present findings from the RET-MAP registry examining RET-positive lung cancers with non-lung adenocarcinoma histology and a large-scale analysis of ITGB6 expression in NSCLC. The RET analysis found that non-lung adenocarcinoma histology was independently associated with shorter progression-free and overall survival after selective RET inhibitors and first-line chemotherapy, while patients with large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma demonstrated a 75% objective response rate to selective RET inhibitors. The ITGB6 analysis, involving 34,022 NSCLC samples, found that expression varied according to histology and genomic context, with opposing survival associations in lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma. Together, the seven presentations demonstrate how comprehensive molecular profiling, artificial intelligence, machine learning and clinico-genomic data are being applied to investigate cancer biology and treatment response. Caris describes its platform as integrating whole-genome, whole-exome and whole-transcriptome sequencing with advanced analytics to support precision medicine, diagnosis, monitoring, therapy selection and drug development. The research presented at WCLC further emphasizes the potential of data-driven approaches to identify biomarkers and molecular subgroups that could ultimately support more informed cancer treatment strategies.

Source: Caris Life Sciences press release