Immuno-Oncology

The FDA has granted a priority review designation to nivolumab (Opdivo) for use as a treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following prior sorafenib (Nexavar).

Costas Lallas, MD, professor at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discusses challenges with immunotherapy in genitourinary (GU) malignancies.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a supplemental Biologics License Application for pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients who have undergone at least 2 courses of chemotherapy for recurrent or advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Axel Grothey, MD, medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic, discusses the FDA approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients with microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer (CRC).

Oliver Sartor, MD, a medical oncologist at the Tulane University School of Medicine, discusses the analysis of African-American patients receiving sipuleucel-T (Provenge) compared with Caucasians with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic, microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) solid tumors that have progressed after prior treatment and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options, as well as for patients with MSI-H or dMMR colorectal cancer following progression on a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan.

Costas Lallas, MD, professor at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discusses combinations of immunotherapy for genitourinary malignancies.

Arjun V. Balar, MD, discusses the impact of the approval of pembrolizumab and other immunotherapy agents in urothelial carcinoma, as well as the next steps with these treatments.

Researchers are hoping to build on the success of the KEYNOTE-012 and CheckMate-141 trials, which led to the approvals of pembrolizumab and nivolumab, respectively, by examining anti–PD-1/PD-L1 agents in the frontline and as a part of combination regimens for patients with head and neck cancer.

Ahead of this year's meeting, researchers are increasingly interested in the state of communication between patients and doctors on immunotherapy.

Tim F. Greten, MD, senior investigator thoracic and gastrointestinal oncology branch, head, gastrointestinal malignancy section, National Cancer Institute, discusses promising immunotherapy agents being investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Urology, co-director, Signal Transduction Research Program, Yale Cancer Center, discusses the FDA approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

The FDA has granted pembrolizumab approvals in the frontline and second-line settings for urothelial carcinoma.

Peter Black, MD, senior research scientist, Vancouver Prostate Center, associate professor, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, discusses combination trials with durvalumab (Imfinzi) for patients with bladder cancer.

Shilpa Gupta, MD, assistant professor, Hematology Oncology and Transplantation Division, University of Minnesota, discusses combining VEGF inhibitors with immunotherapy for patients with kidney cancer.

An epigenetic strategy under study at Cleveland Clinic combines THU, a cytidine deaminase inhibitor, with decitabine and nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The results of early studies demonstrate that THU may help prime the immune system.

Paul G. Corn, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the possibility of immunotherapy in patients with prostate cancer.