Dr. Weiss on Disease-Control Rate of Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer

Jared Weiss, MD, assistant professor, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses immunotherapy as treatment to control disease for patients with lung cancer.

Durable disease control has been observed in a minority of patients due to immunotherapy, says Weiss. With the newer therapies of PD-1/PD-L1 both alone and in combination with CTLA-4 inhibitors and other agents, higher rates of disease control is being seen than previously.

Only a small number of patients achieve what appears to be a cure, but immunotherapy is a bigger step in the evolution of cancer care. Many people are thriving longer with lower toxicities but a cure still needs to be researched, explains Weiss.