Dr. Cheng on Advances With Immunotherapy-Based Combinations in Oncology

Jonathan D. Cheng, MD, attending physician, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses advances with immunotherapy-based combinations in oncology.

During the 2021 SITC Annual Meeting, Cheng gave a presentation on the evolution of immunotherapy in oncology. In the presentation, Cheng discussed immunotherapy-based combinations, including those of chemoimmunotherapy, immunotherapy/immunotherapy, and immunotherapy/TKIs.

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Chemoimmunotherapy can provide the additive benefit of chemotherapy with the durability associated with immunotherapy across several tumor types, Cheng explains. Moreover, multiple chemotherapies have demonstrated efficacy when combined with immunotherapy, Cheng adds.

Immunotherapy/immunotherapy combinations, particularly with checkpoint inhibitors, have also demonstrated significant efficacy across several tumor types, Cheng says. However, additional research is needed to determine where therapies directed toward other immunologic targets, such as LAG3, TIGIT, and CTLA-4, are best utilized.

Finally, TKI/immunotherapy combinations have demonstrated impressive efficacy compared with single-agent therapies, Cheng explains. However, questions regarding potential synergy with immunotherapy and TKIs, particularly VEGF-directed TKIs, remain unanswered, Cheng says.