Immuno-Oncology

Combining two specific anti-cancer vaccines, rather than administering one as monotherapy, doubles the 1-year survival probability in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), according to the results of a phase II study presented January 14.

Tasquinimod, an experimental immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic agent, prolongs not just progression-free survival (PFS) but also overall survival (OS) in certain men with castration-resistant prostate cancer

Naiyer A. Rizvi, MD, an associate attending physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the phenomenon of pseudoprogression in patients with lung cancer after they receive immunotherapy treatment.

Harriet Kluger, MD, associate professor of medicine (medical oncology), associate director, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Yale Cancer Center, discusses the changes and challenges of treating patients with melanoma.

Sherene Loi, MD, PhD, on the association between immune cells and a pathologic complete response in patients with breast cancer after being given chemotherapy and trastuzumab.

Although immunotherapy advances in solid tumors have captured much attention in recent years, therapeutic strategies that enable the patient's own immune system to battle cancer cells have long been integrated into the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies.

Matthew D. Galsky, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director, Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center, discusses the role of ipilimumab in bladder cancer.

Arjun Balar, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, New York University Cancer Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the potential of immunotherapy agents as treatment for bladder cancer.

Immunotherapy can induce regressions of even advanced stage cancers, and many of these patients can have prolonged disease remissions.

Bilal Piperdi, MD, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discussed a trial looking at a vaccine in patients with lung cancer at the 8th Annual New York Lung Cancer Symposium®.

Over the past few years, seven new drugs have gained approval from the FDA for the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Primarily these approaches target angiogenesis and mTOR. The advent of these molecularly targeted therapies has significantly improved the standard of care for patients with RCC.

The Malignant Melanoma Program at Wake Forest Baptist Health employs a multidisciplinary approach for the management of patients with all stages of this disease. The goals of the program are centered on unequivocal excellence in all areas of care for patients with malignant melanoma.

Matthew D. Galsky, MD, from the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center, explains the mechanism of action of ipilimumab in bladder cancer.

The investigational autologous dendritic cell vaccine AGS-003 successfully activated a cytotoxic T cell response that correlates with a prolongation in survival for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

The future of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibition in non-small cell lung cancer is bright, with ongoing studies suggesting that the strategy will lead to a 'new world' in the treatment of the disease

While targeted and immunotherapy drugs have recently shown promise in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), similar developments in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) have not materialized.

Vernon K. Sondak, MD, chair of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the use of ipilimumab in the adjuvant setting for patients with melanoma.

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the immunologic activities of targeted agents for the treatment of melanoma.

Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, chief of surgery, National Cancer Institute, professor of surgery, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, accepts the "Giants of Cancer Care" Award for his work in immunotherapy.

The notion of commandeering the immune system to treat cancer actually dates back more than a century with intratumoral bacterial injections to try and elicit tumor regression.

Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, assistant professor, medical oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the potential for combining therapies for the treatment of melanoma.

Julie R. Brahmer, MD, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses how physicians distinguish between a response to an immunotherapy and cancer growth.

The PD-1 blocking antibody nivolumab continues to demonstrate sustained clinical activity in previously treated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Omid Hamid, MD, chief, translational research and immunotherapy, director, cutaneous oncology and melanoma, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, discusses the treatment of melanoma.

Karl Lewis, MD, medical oncologist, associate professor, University of Colorado, discusses new and emerging treatments for metastatic melanoma

IDO is a key enzyme in the normal regulation of the host's adaptive immune response. Its role in regulating the immune response was initially demonstrated when pregnant mice were given IDO inhibitors, resulting in the rejection of the unborn fetus by the maternal immune system.

Results from a pooled analysis of data from 12 studies has demonstrated a long-term survival benefit that extends through at least 10 years for patients with advanced melanoma treated with ipilimumab.

Clifford A. Hudis, MD, ASCO president, chief, Breast Cancer Medicine Service, Attending Physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses his optimism surrounding immunotherapy for cancer care.

Julie R. Brahmer, MD, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the management of adverse events (AEs) from treatment with immunotherapies.

Douglas Hanahan and Robert Weinberg acknowledged the importance of the immune system in cancer development in 2011, when they added immune evasion to their list of "hallmark" abilities that are essential for the transformation of normal cells into cancerous ones.