Video

Dr. Topalian on Biomarkers for Anti- PD-1 Therapies in Melanoma

Suzanne Topalian, MD, professor of surgery and oncology, John Hopkins Medicine, and director of the melanoma program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, compares biomarker detection for anti- PD-1 therapies like nivolumab to anti-CTLA-4 therapies like ipilimumab for the treatment of melanoma.

Suzanne Topalian, MD, professor of surgery and oncology, John Hopkins Medicine, and director of the melanoma program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, compares biomarker detection for anti- PD-1 therapies like nivolumab to anti-CTLA-4 therapies like ipilimumab for the treatment of melanoma.

PD-1 and PD-L1 blocking drugs are more active at the tumor site, says Topalian. To determine markers for PD-1 drugs , investigators must look at the tumor itself and correlate them with clinical outcomes. Anti-CTLA-4 therapies have a global impact on the immune response, so markers such as PD-L1 may not be relevant.

Related Videos
Jacob Sands, MD, oncology medical director, International Patient Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; assistant professor, Harvard Medical School
Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD, executive director, Center for Thoracic Oncology, The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai; Joe Lowe and Louis Price Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Lori Wirth, MD
Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, FACP
Moritz Fürstenau, MD
Jun Gong, MD
Thierry Facon, MD
Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH, genitourinary medical oncologist, medical director, Survivorship Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School
Marshall Posner, MD
Renee Saliby, MD, MSc