Immuno-Oncology

The dramatic and often practice-changing findings demonstrated by trials of immunotherapies in melanoma and lung cancer may soon be reflected in the treatment of bladder cancer.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute is taking the final steps toward what we believe would be the first-ever clinical trial combining two novel and highly promising techniques: adoptive cellular therapy utilizing re-engineered mature T cells and re-engineered adult hematopoietic stem cells.

Robert Figlin, MD, and Daniel Petrylak, MD, discuss emerging agents in RCC they are excited about and what challenges still remain in treating the disease.

The latest FDA approval for nivolumab in non–small cell lung cancer means that the drug potentially can be administered to any patient in the second-line setting, regardless of tumor histology or PD-L1 expression level.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated encouraging results for patients with small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma, which are two aggressive thoracic malignancies with few options.

Howard L. Kaufman, MD, FACS, Chief Surgical Officer, Associate Director for Clinical Science, Surgical Oncologist, Rutgers Cancer Institute, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) President, discusses the impact of the recent FDA approval of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) for the treatment of melanoma lesions in the skin and lymph nodes.

Willem Overwijk, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Research, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains the role of innate immunity in the treatment of cancer.

Stephen Grupp, MD, PhD, director of translational research for the center for Childhood Cancer Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and medical director of the Stem Cell Laboratory at CHOP, discusses the use of engineered cell therapy for the treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Early promising responses seen with immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with ovarian cancer still need to be validated in larger randomized trials before a conclusion is made regarding their true efficacy.

Immune checkpoint blockade has transformed the treatment paradigms of multiple advanced solid tumors-and bladder cancer is no exception.

Toni Choueiri, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer, Clinical Director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, Director, Kidney Cancer Center, Senior Physician, Dana Farber Cancer, discusses the potential for combination treatments in kidney cancer.

Marianne Davies, NP, Assistant Professor of and Clinical Instructor in Nursing, Yale Cancer Center, discusses immune-mediated adverse events in lung cancer.

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to pembrolizumab as a potential therapy for patients with microsatellite instability-high metastatic colorectal cancer.

Robert J. Motzer, MD, discusses nivolumab's impact for renal cell carcinoma treatment.

Heather Wakelee, MD, reflected on the evolution of lung cancer treatment and just how significant of an impact immunotherapies may have.

PD-1/PD-L1 agents have shown significant potential for the treatment of urothelial bladder cancer, Daniel Petrylak, MD, from Yale Cancer Center, noted in a recent interview with OncLive.

The prospect of combining PD-1 inhibitors with existing therapies, particularly brentuximab vedotin, is emerging as the most exciting new development in advancing the treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, raising the possibility of improving the cure rates in a disease where standard strategies have already produced notable results.

The FDA expanded the approval of ipilimumab (Yervoy) in melanoma to include adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III melanoma at high risk of recurrence following complete resection.

The FDA has approved talimogene laherparepvec for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) extended overall survival versus docetaxel in the phase II/III KEYNOTE-010 trial.

Proinflammatory cytokines were elevated in patients with melanoma undergoing the combination treatment of radiation therapy and the systemic anti–CTLA-4 immunotherapy, ipilimumab.

Abnormal thyroid function tests were reported in up to 15% of patients treated with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab.

Talimogene laherparepvec has received a positive recommendation from the CHMP, which suggests that the treatment should gain European approval for patients with advanced melanoma.

Diane Reidy Lagunes, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the potential of immunotherapy agents in the treatment of patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Pamela L. Kunz, MD, assistant professor of Medicine (Oncology), Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses the potential of immunotherapy in the treatment of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

Dr. Ben Creelan, discusses the impact of the expanded approval of nivolumab in NSCLC and how the drug compares with pembrolizumab.

Sylvia Adams, MD, explains the potential of TILs, as well as other biomarkers, including PD-1/PD-L1, in TNBC and other breast cancer types.

Raffit Hassan, MD, Co-Chief Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Oncology Branch, Senior Investigator Head, Thoracic and Solid Tumor Immunotherapy Section at the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, discusses a recent phase IB trial investigating avelumab in unresectable mesothelioma.