Alan Tan

Genitourinary Oncology, Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University
Vice President, MRD Research and Clinical Strategy, Tempus AI

[Alan Tan @alantanmd]

Thanks @CureMelanoma for the opportunity to discuss ctDNA in #melanoma, also thanks to my son Auguste for the #cameo appearance!

[Andrea Apolo, M.D. @apolo_andrea]

Had so much fun sitting down with @zklaassen_md @urotoday post-ASCO to chat about the great data on Nectin- 4 ADCs presented at #ASCO26 in #BladderCancer The Past, Present, and Future https://t.co/JNfVCvpHcr

[Enrique Grande @drenriquegrande]

⚡️ Histological subtypes of urothelial carcinoma — micropapillary, plasmacytoid, sarcomatoid, squamous — represent biologically distinct phenotypes that do not conform to a one-size-fits-all approach.

Frequently understaged on TURBT, with variable response to standard systemic therapy.

@EuropeanUrology #BladderCancer

https://t.co/NnF32TmzJn

[Elad Sharon @EladSharonMD]

Cancer vaccines have a history of broken promises. Intismeran could be the start of a new era! I discussed with @natashaloder at @TheEconomist why the data are “promising for the field of melanoma and cancer as a whole.” @Merck @moderna_tx

https://t.co/2UBt902e1P

[Tempus @TempusAI]

When faced with a complex diagnosis, Artie and his wife Annie sought answers to guide his cancer journey.

Through Tempus xF non-invasive liquid biopsy results, Artie's oncologist, Alan Tan, MD, was able to identify two significant mutations which opened the door to targeted treatment options tailored specifically to his profile.

Watch is full story: https://t.co/nPumsMYrLd

[Adam Feuerstein ✡️ @adamfeuerstein]

I have to say, when Merck called me last night with the mRNA cancer vaccine news (embargoed, of course), I literally yelped in reaction.

Consider this: Between this spring's Revolution Medicines success with a KRAS-targeted drug and now Merck and Moderna's success with an mRNA neoantigen vaccine, 2026 will go down as one of the most consequential years in cancer treatment, ever.

Incredible.

[Tom Powles @tompowles1]

Personalized mRNA-based neoantigen vaccines + pembo are being tested in a number of randomised adjuvant cancer trials (included bladder and renal). The 1st positive trial (RIII in melanoma) was announced today. PCVs are logistically complex with limited monotherapy activity in advanced disease, but early IO combinations in MRD may overcome tumor microenvironment resistance. Patient selection or even vaccine generation could occur with ctDNA. @OncoAlert https://t.co/FUC1sDu3pn

[BackTable Urology @_backtableUro]

Can pairing PARP inhibitors with AR blockers truly unlock a new frontier in prostate cancer therapy?

Dr. Rana McKay (@DrRanaMcKay), Dr. Emmanuel Antonarakis (@EAntonarakis), and Dr. Alan Tan (@alantanmd) unpack the essentials of DNA repair, the ongoing synergy debate, and how trial design and drug potency shape real-world impact.

Access the full episode in the BackTable app:
https://t.co/ok0cM8ztcz

This podcast is supported by Pfizer.

#URO314 #ONC71 #ProstateCancer #PARPInhibitor #UrologicOncology @RuchikaTalwarMD @UCSDCancer

[Niklas Klümper @niklas_kluemper]

🚨 EV+P is practice-changing in MIBC. Now we need to learn how much EV each patient actually needs.

The updated FDA label provides an important perspective on peripheral neuropathy (PN):

Perioperative MIBC (EV-303/304 pooled)
• PN: 42%
• Grade ≥2: 17%
• complete resolution: 41%

la/mUC (EV-302/103 pooled)
• PN: 67%
• Grade ≥2: 43%
• complete resolution: 13%

Reassuringly, PN appears substantially more reversible with finite perioperative EV exposure. But 59% still had residual neuropathy at last assessment, and among those, 30% remained Grade ≥2.

And Grade ≥2 PN matters—this is no longer just tingling. It can interfere with instrumental daily activities: walking longer distances, driving, working, writing/typing or other fine-motor tasks.

Importantly, median onset of Grade ≥2 PN in MIBC was 4.9 months. Given only 3–4 neoadjuvant EV cycles in EV-303/304, this timing suggests that a substantial part of clinically relevant cumulative neurotoxicity may emerge during the postoperative/adjuvant treatment period.

🎯 This raises an important question for the next generation of perioperative trials:

Does every patient need all 9 cycles of EV?

Can pCR, ctDNA/MRD, pathology or molecular biomarkers identify patients in whom EV can be safely de-escalated after surgery?

VOLGA will provide interesting complementary information because its experimental arms use EV preoperatively but not postoperatively—although it does not directly randomize adjuvant EV vs no adjuvant EV, so it cannot answer this question alone.

We have a highly effective, practice-changing regimen. Now precision oncology should help us preserve efficacy while minimizing cumulative toxicity—especially neuropathy in patients we aim to cure. 🔬

More treatment is not necessarily better treatment. The right treatment intensity for the right patient should be the next goal!

@OncoAlert @weoncologists @DrChoueiri @tompowles1 @MattGalsky @apolo_andrea @UroDocAsh @urotoday @Uromigos @Markuseckstein3 @katy_beckermann @ViktorGruenwald @drenriquegrande @DrYukselUrun @Uroweb

[Mike Thompson, MD, PhD, FASCO @mtmdphd]

Liquid Biopsies for Cancer: A Translational Science Review [Aug 10, 2026] Mezzanotte-Sharpe, @KatrinaPiemonte @benhopark @JAMANetwork
https://t.co/GEir4BehAQ #LiquidBiopsy #PrecisionMedicine

[BackTable Tumor Board @_backtableONC]

Are new ADCs and early treatment intensification redefining GU oncology standards?

@alantanmd & @katy_beckermann break down key @ASCO updates from TALAPRO-3, PROTEUS, and KEYNOTE-564.

Listen to the full episode now on the BackTable app: https://t.co/xkt3VQAOHR

#GUOnc #Oncology #MedEd #ONC76 @Kate_Baker_MD @TNOncology

[Katy Beckermann @katy_beckermann]

Recorded an ASCO recap with @alantanmd. PROTEUS, TALAPRO-3, and LITESPARK-022, all trending to earlier intensification.

@_backtableONC #ProstateCancer #KidneyCancer #GUonc

[Alan Tan @alantanmd]

@StrijbosMichiel @urogene Unfortunate EVP and squamous doesn’t seem to be a good match. I use gem/cis/durva for those.

[Alan Tan @alantanmd]

@urogene I’ve had the same experience with several plasmacytoid and EVP. I have a 35 year old that had very locally advanced disease, cleared his ctDNA rapidly, he decided against cystectomy, and retained his bladder now for almost 2 years. It’s similar to sarcomatoid RCC and ipi/nivo.

[Niklas Klümper @niklas_kluemper]

Excellent Perspective on the future of ADCs in @NatureMedicine.

The next generation of ADCs will likely not be defined by a single innovation, but by integrating:

• smarter target biology
• optimized payloads & linkers
• mechanisms of resistance
• multidimensional biomarkers
• rational combination strategies

Particularly exciting is the focus on dynamic and functional biomarkers rather than static target expression alone—an area that will be highly relevant for EV and other ADCs in urothelial cancer.

Nice discussion on next-generation ADCs by @FerMosele, @jsoriamd, @FAndreMD et al.!

https://t.co/AKO7fautt8

@raffcolo @Markuseckstein3 @OncoAlert @urotoday @weoncologists @drenriquegrande @DrYukselUrun @PGrivasMDPhD @PTarantinoMD

[Laura Bukavina @LauraBukavinaMD]

Bladder cancer space is really moving ..not only our therapeutic space but our biomarkers incl urine, tissue and AI histo. Next decade will see an explosion 💥 of precision technology I suspect and what we know now ( nicely summarized 👇 below) is just tip of the iceberg 🧊 https://t.co/jX4dOdlaZ3

[Niklas Klümper @niklas_kluemper]

Great Perspective. I completely agree that the future of ADCs lies in better biomarkers, not only better ADCs! @Markuseckstein3 @raffcolo @PTarantinoMD

For EV, accumulating evidence suggests that membranous NECTIN4 may be more informative than total expression. The priority now is prospective validation and harmonized scoring—not just new constructs. @Dr_Aggen @DrRosenbergMSK @DrChoueiri

More importantly, we need biomarkers to identify patients unlikely to benefit from EV(P) who may instead derive greater benefit from other ADCs targeting HER2, TROP2, EGFR or future targets. Ultimately, biomarker-guided ADC selection and sequencing should become a cornerstone of precision oncology! @tompowles1 @Uromigos

Exciting times for translational pathology and precision oncology!

@OncoAlert @weoncologists @brunolarvol @urotoday @drenriquegrande @AndreaNecchi @apolo_andrea

[Tempus @TempusAI]

Results published in @NaturePortfolio demonstrate that PRISM2, a multimodal slide-level pathology foundation model developed in collaboration with researchers from Microsoft, demonstrates best-in-class performance across a wide variety of diagnostic and prognostic applications.

By combining large vision models built from pathology images with large language models, PRISM2 unlocks diagnostic-grade precision in research involving cancer detection, biomarker identification and prognosis prediction.

PRISM2 is the largest model trained on the most comprehensive dataset to date, with nearly 700,000 specimens and clinical reports, covering over 2.3 million slides and 14 million question−answer pairs.

Learn more: https://t.co/L7TJTnNd28

[Alan Tan @alantanmd]

@FaltasLab @CBSNews Congrats Bishoy! This is really cool stuff

[Dr. Bishoy M. Faltas @FaltasLab]

Thank you to @CBSNews for highlighting our #research!
For many patients with muscle-invasive #BladderCancer, the standard of care is neoadjuvant systemic therapy followed by curative surgery to remove the bladder. For selected patients, bladder-preserving approaches are already an option, and the field is working to expand who can safely benefit.
Our #research at @WeillCornell @nyphospital combines patient-derived cancer organoids with AI to create “bio-digital avatars” of each patient's cancer.
This is team science, bringing together clinicians, laboratory scientists, computational biologists and mathematicians. We envision that these technologies could eventually help predict each patient’s response to treatment. Rigorous prospective validation will be essential before they can guide routine clinical care. @Cornell @WCMGUcancer @WCMEnglanderIPM @WCM_MeyerCancer @BladderCancerUS #FaltasLab

[Karine Tawagi MD @DrKarineTawagi]

Last day #BCAN26TT 🧡

@ResearchWyatt @BCCancer on ctDNA epigenomics to track adaptive resistance in mUC 🧬

➡️ mapping DNA methylation, nucleosome positioning & histone marks

➡️ liquid biopsy can infer tumor gene expression w/o tissue biopsy

Emerging, not yet clinic-ready