Articles related to IMMUNOTHERAPY

Bispecific antibodies are molecules that are designed to engage or bind to two distinct targets, bringing two distinct cells together. The majority of those that have received regulatory approval are T-cell-engaging bispecific antibodies. Blinatumomab (Blincyto) for ALL, teclistamab (Tecvayli) for multiple myeloma, and mosunetuzumab-axgb (Lunsumio) for follicular lymphoma are some examples of FDA-approved treatments. Glofitamab, another bispecific antibody, is currently under FDA Priority Review for the treatment of R/R DLBCL. Another type of immunotherapy is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, but bispecific antibodies provide the same spectrum of side effects with much less toxicity and are showing promise in solid tumors as well.

In this video, Dr. Robert Vonderheide, the Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine, discusses cancer interception, an approach to cancer treatment that involves identifying and treating pre-cancerous cells before they develop into tumors. Dr. Vonderheide explains that cancer interception involves using genomic sequencing to identify cells that are at high risk of developing into cancer and then using drugs or other treatments to kill these cells before they become cancerous. He notes that cancer interception has the potential to be a highly effective form of cancer treatment, but that it requires a collaborative approach between researchers, clinicians, and patients. Dr. Vonderheide also discusses the role of immunotherapy in cancer interception and the challenges associated with developing effective interception strategies for different types of cancer.

Immunotherapy combinations with activity in patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer are needed, and the recommended phase 2 dose of RIN had a manageable safety profile and an overall response rate of 27.6%, a median progression-free survival of 4 months, and a median overall survival of 20 months in this nonrandomized clinical trial of 39 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients with no liver metastases received responses (overall response rate, 36.4%; median overall survival not reached).

The findings of this retrospective dual-center cohort study of diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) patients suggest that pembrolizumab had clinical activity regardless of PD-L1 status or histology, though patients with nonepithelioid histology may have benefited more. The partial response rate of 21.0% and median OS of 20.9 months in this cohort with 75.0% epithelioid histology call for additional research to identify those most likely to respond to immunotherapy.

Data on patients with mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD) CRC, the majority of whom could not undergo surgery due to various health conditions unrelated to cancer, were presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI). Instead of radiation therapy or chemotherapy, the patients received immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. It should be noted that the patients were treated outside of clinical trials. The overall response rate in this patient group was 74%, with 57% of those who responded experiencing complete tumor regression. Some of the patients have been in complete remission for a year or more after their diagnoses. The data indicate that immunotherapy is an effective treatment for patients who are unable to undergo surgery for a variety of reasons, including advanced age or a variety of health issues.

An earlier analysis of this phase 3 trial of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy showed that the addition of pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy resulted in a significantly higher percentage of patients with early triple-negative breast cancer having a pathological complete response (defined as no invasive cancer in the breast and negative nodes) at definitive surgery. The trial’s main findings on event-free survival have not been published.