Dr. Wolchok Describes the Immunotherapy Ipilimumab

Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center describes the immunotherapy ipilimumab.

Dr. Wolchok says ipilimumab has moved cancer immunotherapy ahead to an important next step. He says high dose Interleukin 2 was the first clear cut example of how pure immune immodulation could lead to control of cancer. The difficulties with IL-2 in terms of side effects and the fact that patients using it sometimes had to be admitted to the hospital limited its use. Although IL-2 is not being compared head to head with ipilimumab, Dr. Wolchok says the kinds of durable responses seen with ipilimumab are reminiscent of immunotherapy. It is an easier drug to give with side effects that, in general, are manageable.