Luis Paz-Ares

Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, is Head of Medical Oncology at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid and Chair of the Lung Cancer Clinical Research Unit at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO). He is the principal investigator of the PACIFIC trial, the definitive phase III study that established durvalumab as consolidation immunotherapy following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for unresectable stage III NSCLC, a paradigm-shifting regimen that became the global standard of care for this previously difficult-to-treat population. The PACIFIC trial demonstrated a landmark improvement in both progression-free survival and overall survival with durvalumab consolidation, with long-term follow-up showing a 5-year OS rate of approximately 42.9%, representing one of the most significant advances in locally advanced lung cancer in decades. Paz-Ares has additionally led major trials in NSCLC spanning KEYNOTE-407 (pembrolizumab in squamous NSCLC) and has been instrumental in generating evidence on KRAS G12C-targeted therapies. He has published extensively on the molecular classification of NSCLC, immune checkpoint biology in the locally advanced setting, and mechanisms of resistance to PD-L1 inhibition after CRT. As a founder and longstanding board member of the Spanish Lung Cancer Group (GECP), he has shaped clinical trial infrastructure across Spain and Latin America.