Immuno-Oncology

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) combined with ipilimumab (Yervoy) did not improve survival and had higher rates of toxicity compared with pembrolizumab monotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had a PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) of 50% or greater, and did not harbor EGFR or ALK aberrations.

The radiographic and pathologic responses that have been seen with checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer bodes well for the use of neoadjuvant therapy. However, the relationship between response and long-term outcomes, specifically with regard to overall survival, will have to be teased out before they become standard practice, explained David Spigel, MD.

The FDA approved cabozantinib (Cabometyx) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) for the frontline treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Regulating the fas protein may be the key in overcoming resistance in patients receiving immunotherapy treatment, such as CAR T-cell therapy.

Chemoimmunotherapy regimens are showing promise in the treatment of SCLC.

The FDA has granted a priority review designation to a supplemental biologics license application and supplemental new drug application for nivolumab (Opdivo) plus cabozantinib (Cabometyx) for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

The paradigm of advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is now one that necessitates discussions regarding the use of combination chemoimmunotherapy, combination immunotherapy, and single-agent immunotherapy, explained Jonathan Dowell, MD.

The investigational CAR T-cell product AUTO3 in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was found to have a tolerable safety profile and elicit durable complete responses (CRs) in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to results of the single-arm, phase 1/2 ALEXANDER study that were presented during the virtual 2020 ESMO Congress.

The advent of immunotherapy has revolutionized multiple areas of cancer treatment, said Timothy Cragin Wang, MD, who added that the transformative potential of the modality has been mild at best in the field of colorectal cancer (CRC).

The COVID-19 pandemic can affect every stage of the cancer experience: from diagnosis to adverse event management.

Locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer traditionally had high relapse rates after initial treatment. Now durvalumab may bring better survival rates to these patients.

Despite encouraging data shown in some subtypes, there is still a lot of work that still needs to be done with regard to determining the optimal use for immunotherapy in patients with sarcoma, a population that has historically been difficult to treat.

Bradley McGregor, MD, discusses some of the recent approaches that have emerged in bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma, as well as anticipated developments in each field.

Several trials in the field of first-line metastatic urothelial cancer are testing combinations with gemcitabine/platinum-based therapy followed by maintenance avelumab (Bavencio). However, no phase 3 trials have shown that first-line pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is better than gemcitabine and platinum-based therapy followed by avelumab as maintenance, according to Guru P. Sonpavde, MD.

Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors did not increase the risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19 and cancer.

During his presentation, Michael A. Postow, MD, briefly reviewed the latest updates with immunotherapy and other targeted treatments in melanoma reported during the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

The combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) plus carboplatin/etoposide continued to demonstrate an improvement in overall survival (OS) versus chemotherapy alone as a frontline treatment for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), regardless of PD-L1 and blood tumor mutational burden (bTMB) status.

The 4-drug combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq), bevacizumab (Avastin), carboplatin, and paclitaxel (ABCP) improved survival while maintaining good health-related quality of life (QOL) in patients with nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer .

Immunotherapy should be continued for up to 2 years in patients with metastatic lung cancer who are responding to the treatment, unless they experience disease progression or excessive toxicity, according to Gilberto de Lima Lopes, MD.

The addition of immunotherapy to the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) armamentarium has led to a paradigm shift and sparked an abundance of research with immuno-oncology (IO) drugs in new combinations and settings, explained Hope S. Rugo, MD.

The FDA approved nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) for the frontline treatment of patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no EGFR or ALK aberrations.

Over the last few weeks, the FDA was busy reviewing and approving new cancer treatments.

Although the emergence of more targeted and immunotherapies continues to expand the melanoma treatment paradigm, surgery remains an important tool in the management of these patients, according to Omid Hamid, MD.

Bristol Myers Squibb recently announced that the FDA granted priority review to nivolumab plus ipilimumab in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for metastatic NSCLC.

The FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapies etoposide with either carboplatin or cisplatin (platinum-etoposide) for the treatment of adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

After nearly 4 decades of stagnation, the advent of immunotherapy has transformed the frontline treatment paradigm for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). However, biomarkers are needed to better inform which patients are most likely to respond to checkpoint inhibitors, said Jason Niu, MD, PhD.

The frontline combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) whose tumors expressed PD-L1 (combined positive score [CPS] ≥10), meeting one of the dual primary endpoints of the phase III KEYNOTE-355 trial.

Recent years have brought landmark changes to the treatment of advanced lung cancer, but there is still more work to be done.

Nearly 1 year following the first checkpoint inhibitor approval in advanced triple-negative breast cancer, additional immunotherapeutic agents are poised to enter the field, according to Rita Nanda, MD.

Do a head-to-toe scan when discussing adverse events for melanoma treatment, says a nurse practitioner.