Immuno-Oncology

At a time when PD-1 inhibitors are dominating the immunotherapy field, a team of researchers is seeking to use groundbreaking CRISPR gene editing technology for the first time in human beings to create an engineered T-cell agent that would knock out the gene that controls the immune checkpoint’s activity.

Michael J. Overman, MD, discusses the findings of the phase II CheckMate-142 study, which examined nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with high microsatellite instability colorectal cancer.

Amid growing evidence of their importance in the immune system, myeloid-derived suppressor cells are gaining traction as a target for anticancer therapies.

Ranee Mehra, MD, chief, Head and Neck Hematology/Oncology, associate professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses the results of the KEYNOTE-012 study, which examined the efficacy of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Mark G. Kris, MD, medical oncologist, William and Joy Ruane Chair in Thoracic Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explains what community oncologists need to know regarding immunotherapy and frontline treatment options for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Frontline pembrolizumab (Keytruda) improved overall survival versus chemotherapy in non–small cell lung cancer patients with high levels of PD-L1 expression.

Michael J. Overman, MD, associate professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses a study examining nivolumab (Opdivo) monotherapy, ipilimumab (Yervoy) monotherapy, and the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with high microsatellite instability metastatic colorectal cancer.

In patients with advanced colorectal cancer, the combination regimen of cobimetinib (Cotellic) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq) was found to demonstrate clinical activity as well as have a good safety profile.

David F. McDermott, MD, provides further insight on the long-term efficacy and safety of nivolumab and its role in renal cell carcinoma, as well as potential combination regimens and challenges with sequencing nivolumab.

Saeed Rafii, MD, PhD, medical director, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, United Kingdom, discusses a phase I/II dose-escalation study examining the efficacy and safety of the PD-1 antibody durvalumab in patients with metastatic urothelial bladder cancer.

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director and co-director of the Melanoma Program, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the design and results of the CheckMate-064 trial, which examined outcomes in patients who received nivolumab (Opdivo) given sequentially with ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with advanced melanoma.

Sandra Demaria, MD, assistant professor of Radiation Oncology, (Interim), Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College and New-York Presbyterian, discusses the synergy with radiation therapy and immunotherapy as a potential combination regimen for patients with cancer.

The combination of the oncolytic virus talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) demonstrated evidence of clinical benefit, as well as an acceptable safety profile, in patients with advanced melanoma.

Hossein Borghaei, DO, discusses the significance of the 2-year follow-up results of the CheckMate-057 and -017 studies, the evolving role of PD-L1 as a biomarker and others that are in development, and emerging immunotherapy agents in the field of non-small cell lung cancer.

Melissa Johnson, MD, associate director, Lung Cancer Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the phase II BIRCH study, which is examining atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in patients with PD-L1–positive locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Pembrolizumab demonstrated an objective response rate of 18% in data from two clinical trials exploring the PD-1 inhibitor as a treatment for patients with pretreated recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Keith T. Flaherty, MD, discusses choosing between immunotherapy and targeted therapy in the frontline setting for patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma.

The PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab demonstrated durable responses and promising early survival data for patients with pretreated metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is associated with an exceptional overall response rate in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.

Robert Ferris, MD, PhD, vice chair for Clinical Operations, associate director for Translational Research, and coleader of the Cancer Immunology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, discusses the CheckMate-141 trial, which found that treatment with single-agent nivolumab (Opdivo) reduced the risk of death by 30% and doubled 1-year overall survival (OS) rates compared with investigator's choice of therapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCHN).

At a minimum follow-up of 18 months, the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab reduced the risk of disease progression by 58% compared with ipilimumab alone, and single-agent nivolumab lowered the risk of progression by 45% versus ipilimumab monotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma.

David A. Reardon, MD, discusses results of a cohort from the open-label CheckMate-143 trial, which explored the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Avelumab demonstrated clinical activity in patients with advanced or unresectable mesothelioma, with an overall response rate of 14.3%.

Treatment with single-agent nivolumab improved overall survival and objective response rates compared with investigator's choice of therapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Single-agent nivolumab induced responses in 66% of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma who had progressed following autologous stem cell transplant and brentuximab vedotin.