ESMO Preview: Cancer Stocks to Watch

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- A key European cancer drug research meeting -- the 35th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress -- kicks off Friday in Milan and will include key data presentations from the following companies:

Dendreon(DNDN)
Drug: Provenge
Indication: Prostate cancer
Presentation date: Sat. Oct. 9

The Provenge data from four double-blind, placebo-controlled studies is not new, but this is the first time Dendreon will present Provenge efficacy and safety data to a European medical audience. Provenge is not approved in Europe. Dendreon is expected to make its European regulatory plans public later this year or early next year.

Amgen(AMGN)
Drug: AMG386
Indication: Ovarian cancer
Presentation: Sat. Oct. 9

Follow-on data to be presented from a phase II study of AMG386 plus paclitaxel in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. At the ASCO meeting in June, a 10 mg dose of AMG386 plus paclitaxel demonstrated a 7.2-month median progression-free survival compared to a median 4.6-month PFS for placebo plus paclitaxel.

Roche and ImmunoGen(IMGN)
Drug: TDM-1
Indication: Breast cancer
Presentation: Sun. Oct. 10

Interim results will be presented from an open-label phase II study of TDM-1 compared against Herceptin plus taxotere in front-line metastatic breast cancer. These data are important because it will provide the first (early) clue about TDM-1's ability to eventually replace Herceptin as the front-line drug treatment of choice for women newly diagnosed with metastatic Her-2 positive breast cancer.

Johnson & Johnson(JNJ)
Drug: Abiraterone
Indication: Prostate cancer
Presentation date: Monday, Oct. 11

J&J announced in September that treatment with abiraterone helps men with advanced, metastatic prostate cancer live longer, but the details -- how big is that survival benefit? -- was not disclosed. Researchers at ESMO will present the full data from the abiraterone phase III study, which enrolled metastatic prostate cancer patients previously treated with chemotherapy.

Seattle Genetics(SGEN)
Drug: SGN75
Indication: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and kidney cancer
Presentation: Mon. Oct. 11

Early, phase I data on SGN-75, another "armed antibody" drug candidates in Seattle Genetics' cancer drug pipeline. These data are from a dose escalation study enrolling patients with relapses refractory NHL or metastatic kidney cancer.