Dr. Whitman on Expanding the Benefit of Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors

Eric Whitman, MD, medical director of Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, Atlantic Health System, discusses ways to expand the benefit of immunotherapy in nonimmunogenic solid tumors.

At Morristown Medical Center’s 7th Annual Joseph Calello Melanoma Scholar presentation, Adil Daud, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed ways to turn “cold” tumors into “hot” tumors. Atlantic Health System is conducting several trials looking at the role of interleukin (IL)-12 in increasing the immunogenicity of a tumor. In these trials, patients who have failed multiple lines of therapy are treated with anti—PD-1 agents and IL-12 via electroporation.

Other ongoing work is assessing T cell response to immunotherapy. In the cases of “cold” tumors, researchers believe the T cells become exhausted and are unable to generate an immune response. If researchers can use IL-12 to reactivate the T cells remains to be seen, Whitman concludes.