Dr. Atkins on the Expanding Role of Immunotherapy in Oncology

Michael B. Atkins, MD, deputy director of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Scholl Professor and vice chair of the Department of Medical Oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, discusses the expanding role of immunotherapy in oncology.

In recent years, the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center Consortium saw an opportunity to expand the benefits of immunotherapy to different tumor types, including stage IV epithelioid sarcoma, says Atkins.

Interest ​was mounting regarding the use of checkpoint inhibitors ​in oncology, ​Atkins says. Additionally, the field aimed to better understand the mechanisms of resistance ​to immunotherapy, which has been a significant research challenge.

Moreover, investigators at the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center Consortium wanted to expand their knowledge of different biomarkers that could predict response ​to immunotherapy, as well as potential toxicit​ies, explains Atkins.

As such, ​a clinical trial was developed to evaluate the expanded use and potentially improved value of available therapies, Atkins concludes.