Dr. Curigliano Discusses Immunotherapy Trials in Breast Cancer

Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, head of the Division of Early Drug Development at European Institute of Oncology, in Milan, Italy, discusses immunotherapy trials in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

The biggest challenge facing immunotherapy in TNBC is proving that it works, says Curigliano.

The IMpassion130 trial is a prospective randomized trial that is comparing nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) alone versus nab-paclitaxel plus atezolizumab (Tecentriq). It is currently ongoing.

Curigliano adds that data from neoadjuvant trials will be very important, as they may demonstrate that the addition of an immune checkpoint inhibitor increases pathologic complete response in patients with metastatic disease.