Dr. Johnson on the Future of Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer

Melissa L. Johnson, MD, medical oncologist, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses potential immunotherapy regimens for patients with lung cancer.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is approved for patients in the frontline setting for tumors that express high PD-L1 expression, which is only seen in 30% of patients.

Chemotherapy plus immunotherapy or PD-L1 inhibitors in combination with other checkpoint inhibitors are currently being investigated to treat the remaining patients in the frontline setting.

PD-1 plus anti CTLA-4 has already been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. There are ongoing trials evaluating that strategy for patients with lung cancer, explains Johnson.