Dr. Wenham on the Potential for Immunotherapy in Ovarian Cancer

Robert Wenham, MD, MS, FACOG, FACS, gynecologic oncologist, chair, Gynecologic Oncology Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the potential for immunotherapy in ovarian cancer.

Although many promising ongoing randomized phase 3 trials are examining immunotherapy as a treatment for patients with ovarian cancer, no standard approach utilizing checkpoint inhibitors exists for this patient population, Wenham says. New insights on efficacious combinations and comparators may emerge as data from these trials read out, Wenham adds.

In the recurrent space, combining checkpoint inhibitions with other drugs may resulted in improved outcomes, although determining which patients stand to derive the most benefit from these combinations will be challenging, Wenham adds. Additionally, antibody-drug conjugates, such as mirvetuximab soravtansine (IMGN853), have shown potential, according to Wenham. Overall, although immunotherapy may have a role in the ovarian cancer paradigm, deriving benefit from this approach will be more difficult than in other cancer types, Wenham concludes.