Dr. Schwartz on Results From the GIST Cohort in the Alliance A091401 Trial

Gary K. Schwartz, MD, professor of medicine, chief, Division of Hematology​/Oncology, ​deputy director, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, discusses the results from the gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cohort of the phase 2 Alliance A091401 trial.

In the Alliance A091401 trial, patients with advanced sarcoma were randomized to receive nivolumab (Opdivo) alone or in combination with ipilimumab (Yervoy).

In the United States, GIST is a common sarcoma ​subtype, ​and finding new therapies is of critical importance​, says Schwartz.

Until the GIST cohort was added to the trial, it was unknown whether patients with GIST could benefit from immunotherapy, Schwartz explains.

However, no patients in the GIST cohort achieved a partial or complete response with either the single agent or combination regimen, and the trial was stopped ​early due to increased treatment-related adverse effects, Schwartz concludes.