Dr. Brahmer on the Future of Antibodies for Lung Cancer

Julie R. Brahmer, MD, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the future of antibodies, including nivolumab, for the treatment of lung cancer at the 11th Annual International Congress on Targeted Therapies in Cancer.

As more and more monoclonal antibodies are being tested in the clinic, it is enocouraging to see consistent responses across tumor types, Brahmer says. Based on these consistent responses, the oncology community hopes to get these antibodies approved for the treatment of patients with lung cancer.

In addition to continued consistent results, there is hope for a better safety profile with these agents. When responses are seen, Brahmer says, they are often long lasting. Unlike chemotherapy, which typically elicits a response of a few months, the duration of responses seen with nivolumab is unheard of.