Immuno-Oncology

Tuesday marked the first of 3 days of hearings on whether checkpoint inhibitors should keep indications after follow-up studies failed to show benefits that led to accelerated approval.

The researchers focused on immunotherapy combinations, which they say may hold promise in the treatment of late-stage or recurrent endometrial cancer (EC).

Nivolumab, marketed under the name Opdivo, led to a 29% reduced risk of death when combined with certain chemotherapies for gastric cancers.

Given that some patients may need to travel out of state to access CAR T sites of care, some may not have a clear understanding of their insurance benefits, including requirements for out-of-state or out-of-network treatment, as well as adequate assistance with the costs of medical-related travel.

The study identifies the tumor-suppressing protein p53 as a working partner of “speckles,” nuclear structures that contain proteins and RNA involved in gene expression.

As more therapies continue to be approved, efforts will focus on toxicity prevention and mitigation strategies for associated unique and potentially life-threatening adverse reactions.

The approval marks the first B-cell maturation antigen-directed genetically modified autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference, Arlene O. Siefker-Radtke, MD, discussed immune checkpoint inhibitors and their potential in urothelial bladder cancer.

Penn Medicine's Stephen Schuster, MD, offers an overview of an eventful year in CAR T-cell therapy at the NCCN Virtual Annual Meeting.

A new cost-effectiveness analysis suggests quality-adjusted life year gain and cost reduction for patients treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel versus tisagenlecleucel.

The FDA will reassess 6 indications for immune checkpoint inhibitors that were granted accelerated approval but failed to prove clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

An experimental safety switch incorporated into chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy reduced the severity of the treatment’s side effects in an early-phase trial.

A review published in Cancer examines the efficacy and drawbacks of tools used to evaluate health-related quality of life in immuno-oncology clinical trials.

A new study found that performing single-cell RNA sequencing on T cells circulating in the blood provided significant insight on sister cells within tumor tissue in advanced melanoma.

Exciting new and ongoing developments in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies were covered at the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting.

An investigational drug, IMM-101, already being studied for its ability to increase the effects of immuno-oncology agents, may be able to prevent or lessen the effects of COVID-19 among those with cancer.

Evidence-Based Oncology managed care updates for August 2020 feature coverage of liquid biopsies, companion diagnostics, and CAR T-cell therapy.

The oncology drug pipeline has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, driven by innovation in cell therapies, immunotherapy, and precision medicine, according to a specialty pipeline update presentation at Asembia's 15th annual Specialty Pharmacy Summit, held April 29 to May 2 in Las Vegas.

The breast cancer community is very excited about the approval of atezolimuab for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, explained Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, executive director, West Cancer Center.

Administration of immuno-oncology therapy for cancer diagnoses in the community clinic setting is associated with lower costs compared with administration in a hospital-based clinic setting.

This week, the top managed care news included increased demand for long-acting contraception since President Trump took office; a payer decision on an insulin pump alarmed diabetes advocates; and despite being involved in cancer treatment decisions, many primary care providers don't feel prepared to do so.

Evidence-Based OncologyTM recently sat down with Rodabe Amaria, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, at MD Anderson and a lead author on a study that found that evidence has been accumulating in preclinical models that neoadjuvant treatment may be superior to treatment after surgery for patients with advanced melanoma.

Immunotherapy has seen great success in the treatment of numerous cancers, from melanoma to lung, breast, colorectal, kidney, and even some brain cancers. But thus far, despite several attempts, the devastating brain disease glioblastoma has not been among the immunotherapy success stories. In fact, glioblastoma researchers have had few advances in more than a decade.

Higher tumor mutational burden is associated with improved overall survival in patients with stage IV or metastatic disease being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

As new, innovative therapies with high price tags, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, come to market, the US health system will have to start looking at different approaches for reimbursement, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance.

A recent trial looked to compare the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with the standard of care for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Earlier this week, the FDA granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for adult and pediatric patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).

Patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma who are responsive to nivolumab (Opdivo) have higher serum levels of soluble CD163 (sCD163) compared with nonresponders, according to the results of a recent study.

The Allen Institute for Immunology has partnered with several cancer institutions, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, with the primary goal of understanding the differences between a defective and healthy immune system to improve immune-based treatments.