Immuno-Oncology

Combining the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab with the VEGF inhibitor axitinib significantly improved survival versus sunitinib as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

The presence of Lynch syndrome correlates with microsatellite-instability status and DNA mismatch-repair deficiency across a variety of tumor types.

One potential approach to improving the response to cancer immunotherapies is to combine such treatments with radiotherapy.

Jill O'Donnell-Tormey, PhD, chief executive officer, director of scientific affairs, Cancer Research Institute, discusses the importance of curiosity in expanding the role of immunology in the treatment of cancer.

Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, professor of Immunology in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses immune checkpoint resistance in genitourinary cancers.

Single-agent nivolumab (Opdivo) did not improve overall survival compared with standard topotecan or amrubicin, where approved, in patients with small cell lung cancer who relapsed following platinum-based chemotherapy.

Gilberto Lopes, MD, discusses the KEYNOTE-042 results and ongoing developments with immunotherapy in NSCLC.

Michelle Krogsgaard, PhD, associate professor, Department of Pathology, NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses mechanisms of resistance to PD-1 checkpoint blockade.

Thomas F. Gajewski, MD, PhD, has made inroads in the field of cancer immunotherapy, most notably discovering the connections between the microbiome and clinical outcomes—findings that will enable the creation of microbiota-modulating interventions to improve outcomes in patients undergoing cancer treatments.

David Spigel, MD, chief scientific officer, director, Lung Cancer Research Program, principal investigator, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, reflects on the results of the PACIFIC trial in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

Although checkpoint-blocking antibodies dominate the anticancer immunotherapy field today, researchers are increasingly exploring the potential to leverage growing knowledge about tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to develop new drugs.

James P. Allison, PhD, reflects on his research in immunology, the impact it has had on patients with cancer, and where the field is headed.