Dr. Matasar on the Unmet Needs of Immunotherapy for DLBCL

Matthew J. Matasar, MD, medical oncologist, director, Regional Care Network Medical Site, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the unmet needs remaining in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Though investigators and clinicians have made significant strides in treating patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL, significant toxicities have affected the risk/benefit profile for using these agents, Matasar says. Developing more effective and better tolerated immunotherapy options remains an unmet need in DLBCL, particularly because the disease typically affects older patients with comorbidities, Matasar adds.

The phase 2b VITALIZE trial (NCT04920617) investigated maveropepimut-S plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and low dose, intermittent cyclophosphamide in relapsed/refractory DLBCL. Maveropepimut-S targets survivin, which is a cancer-associated protein commonly upregulated in advanced DLBCL.

Developing an immunotherapeutic strategy to target survivin could represent a novel way to leverage immunotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, Matasar concludes.