Immuno-Oncology

The AJMC® Immuno-Oncology compendium is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights for treatments that utilize the body's immune system to fight cancer, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies.

Latest News

cancer vaccine | Image credit: IO Biotech
From “Super Skeptical” Beginnings, a New Immune-Modulatory Vaccine Awaits Phase 3 Results

May 3rd 2025

IO Biotech's first-in-class vaccine performs double duty, killing cancer cells and enhancing the tumor microenvironment. A phase 3 trial is on track to release results this fall.

Round FDA approval stamp in blue ink | Image Credit: © Surendra - stock.adobe.com
FDA Approves Durvalumab Combo for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

March 31st 2025

Travis Osterman, DO, MS, FAMIA, FASCO
Leveraging AI to Optimize Precision Immunotherapy at Vanderbilt

October 25th 2024

Advances in the Treatment of Resectable NSCLC: Key Insights From CheckMate 77T, NEOSTAR, and CA209-159 Trials
Advances in the Treatment of Resectable NSCLC: Key Insights From CheckMate 77T, NEOSTAR, and CA209-159 Trials

September 15th 2024

Rates of ICI-related CVAEs and myocarditis were low, but the risk of mortality following CVAEs is high, underscoring the need for monitoring and management of these effects. | Image credit: Henadzy - stock.adobe.com
Early Recognition, Action Crucial for ICI-Induced Cardiovascular Adverse Effects

August 30th 2024

More News

Dr Brian Koffman Outlines the Follow-up as a Patient Treated With CAR T
November 24th 2018

Dr Brian Koffman Outlines the Follow-up as a Patient Treated With CAR T

After being treated for his chronic lymphocytic leukemia with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, Brian Koffman, MDCM, DCFP, DABFM, MS Ed, medical director, CLL Society, is being followed for 15 years to better understand if there are any undiscovered adverse events that pop up and how durable the response is.
FDA Approves Pembrolizumab to Treat HCC
November 20th 2018

FDA Approves Pembrolizumab to Treat HCC

Samantha DiGrande
Earlier this month, Merck announced that the FDA approved its anti–PD-1 therapy, pembrolizumab (sold as Keytruda), for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib.
Nivolumab Plus Azacitidine Increased Response Rates in Patients With Relapsed AML
November 16th 2018

Nivolumab Plus Azacitidine Increased Response Rates in Patients With Relapsed AML

David Bai, PharmD
The addition of nivolumab to azacitidine led to significantly better overall response rate and overall survival compared with previous hypomethylating agent-based regimens in patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to the results of a recent phase 2 study.
CD8 T Cell May Determine Patient Responses to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Melanoma
November 13th 2018

CD8 T Cell May Determine Patient Responses to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Melanoma

Samantha DiGrande
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad institute of MIT and Harvard recently identified specific states of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that are associated with patient response to checkpoint immunotherapy for melanoma.
Nobel Prize Winner Dr James Allison on the Impact His Work Has Made
November 12th 2018

Nobel Prize Winner Dr James Allison on the Impact His Work Has Made

It has been good knowing that treatments he has had a hand in developing will give years of quality life to patients, where treatments only gave a few months before, explained James Allison, PhD, chair of the Department of Immunology, the Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology, director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Research, executive director of the Immunotherapy Platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and 2018 Nobel Prize cowinner in Medicine.
FDA Approves New Immunotherapy Combination for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
November 8th 2018

FDA Approves New Immunotherapy Combination for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Samantha DiGrande
Today, the FDA approved elotuzumab (Empliciti), an injection for intravenous use in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (EPd) for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least 2 prior therapies.
Immunotherapy Improves Survival in Metastatic Melanoma
November 7th 2018

Immunotherapy Improves Survival in Metastatic Melanoma

David Bai, PharmD
The use of CTLA-4, PD-1, or a combination approach achieved high response rates and improved overall survival in patients with CDKN2A mutations with metastatic melanoma, based on the results of a study by Helgadottir et al.
Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Approved to Treat Metastatic Squamous NSCLC
November 2nd 2018

Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Approved to Treat Metastatic Squamous NSCLC

Samantha DiGrande
Earlier this week, the FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with carboplatin and either paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
CAR T Cells Improve Antitumor Activity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
November 1st 2018

CAR T Cells Improve Antitumor Activity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

David Bai, PharmD
Gene-edited glypican-3 (GPC3)-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with deficient programmed death–1 have greater cytotoxicity compared with wild-type GPC3-targeted T cells in GPC3-positive hepatocellular carcinoma, based on results from a recent study.
PD-1 Inhibitors Effective in Metastatic Conjunctival Melanoma
October 27th 2018

PD-1 Inhibitors Effective in Metastatic Conjunctival Melanoma

David Bai, PharmD
A study published in JAMA Opthalmology has confirmed that PD-1 inhibitors, and nivolumab in particular, are effective in the treatment of metastatic conjunctival melanoma.
Nobel Prize Winner Dr James Allison on Meeting Patients Treated With Ipilimumab
October 24th 2018

Nobel Prize Winner Dr James Allison on Meeting Patients Treated With Ipilimumab

As a basic scientist, James Allison, PhD, didn’t always meet the patients who benefitted from treatments he discovered, but he did meet 1 woman who participated in one of the early trials of ipilimumab.
Atezolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Prolongs PFS in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
October 23rd 2018

Atezolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Prolongs PFS in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Samantha DiGrande
A phase 3 trial recently investigated if nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel enhances the treatment of atezolizumab in unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
Switchable CAR T Cells May Be Safer in Pancreatic Cancer
October 19th 2018

Switchable CAR T Cells May Be Safer in Pancreatic Cancer

David Bai, PharmD
Switchable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with a switch directed towards human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has similar efficacy as conventional HER2 CAR T cells while also having a greater control over treatment toxicities.
Opdivo Fails to Meet Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 SCLC Trial
October 17th 2018

Opdivo Fails to Meet Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 SCLC Trial

Samantha DiGrande
Last week, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced results from the phase 3 CheckMate -331 trial that investigated nivolumab (Opdivo) versus the current standard of care, chemotherapy, in the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) who relapsed following platinum-based chemotherapy. The trial found that nivolumab did not significantly increase overall survival compared with chemotherapy.
FDA Approves Libtayo to Treat Second Most Common Skin Cancer
October 10th 2018

FDA Approves Libtayo to Treat Second Most Common Skin Cancer

Samantha DiGrande
Last week, the FDA granted approval to immune checkpoint inhibitor cemiplimab-rwlc, to be sold as Libtayo, for the treatment of metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), or in patients with locally advanced CSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.
Does Transcriptional Loss of HLA Cause Immunotherapy Resistance?
October 8th 2018

Does Transcriptional Loss of HLA Cause Immunotherapy Resistance?

David Bai
The development of resistance to immunotherapy is poorly understood and is detrimental to patients who relapse on multiple lines of treatment. Transcriptional downregulation of class 1 human leukocyte antigen (HLA) may contribute to the developed resistance of immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, and warrants further investigation, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
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October 1st 2018

Nobel Prize Recognizes Discoveries With T Cells in Immunotherapy

Mary Caffrey
James P. Allison, PhD, and Tasuku Honjo, MD, PhD, led the basic science experiments that showed the potential of checkpoint inhibitors, creating a fourth pillar in the treatment of cancer.
Single Resistant Cell Causes Case of Rare ALL Relapse After CAR T Therapy
October 1st 2018

Single Resistant Cell Causes Case of Rare ALL Relapse After CAR T Therapy

Allison Inserro
A single leukemia cell was able to reproduce and cause a deadly relapse of pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) after it had bonded with the leukemia-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) lentivirus and infused back into a patient. The case of the cell that became resistant to CAR T-cell therapy was published in the journal Nature Medicine Monday.
Imfinzi Plus Chemotherapy Reduced Risk of Death by One-Third in Stage III NSCLC
September 28th 2018

Imfinzi Plus Chemotherapy Reduced Risk of Death by One-Third in Stage III NSCLC

Samantha DiGrande
Earlier this week, drug manufacturer Astrazeneca announced the results from a phase 3 trial studying durvalumab (Imfinzi) among patients with stage III unresectable non­–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who did not have disease progression after concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab Improved Tumor Responses in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
September 28th 2018

Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab Improved Tumor Responses in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

David Bai
A phase 2 trial evaluating the 2 checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and ipilimumab, found significantly better tumor responses with the combination compared with nivolumab alone in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.
Amgen's AMG 420 Finds Early Success in Patients With Relapsing/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
September 20th 2018

Amgen's AMG 420 Finds Early Success in Patients With Relapsing/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

David Bai
Amgen’s pipeline drug AMG 420, a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) for the treatment of patients with relapsing/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), has found positive preliminary results in a phase 1 trial.
Keytruda Earns Priority Review as Monotherapy in NSCLC
September 17th 2018

Keytruda Earns Priority Review as Monotherapy in NSCLC

Samantha DiGrande
Last week, the FDA granted priority review to a new supplemental Biologics License Application for pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as a monotherapy for first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic nonsquamous or squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose tumors express PD-L1 without EGFR or ALK mutations.
NCCN Report on CAR T-Cell Therapy, Recommendations for Future Use
September 14th 2018

NCCN Report on CAR T-Cell Therapy, Recommendations for Future Use

Samantha DiGrande
A recent report from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) investigated the current state of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and future strategies to consider as the novel immunotherapy evolves and is used in the treatment of more patients.
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September 13th 2018

Study Discerns Rare Risks of Fatal Side Effects From Cancer Immunotherapy

Allison Inserro
Researchers determined the incidence and timing of rare, fatal side effects from immune checkpoint inhibitors, and said the number is still extremely low.
EU Approves Keytruda for First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC
September 12th 2018

EU Approves Keytruda for First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC

Samantha DiGrande
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) earned European approval this week, in combination with platinum-based pemetrexed, for the first-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults whose tumors lack EGFR or ALK mutations.
Pembrolizumab Gets Priority Review for Merkel Cell Carcinoma
September 5th 2018

Pembrolizumab Gets Priority Review for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Mary Caffrey
FDA's designation is based on phase 2 data presented earlier this year at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.
Ipilimumab, Opdivo Provides Durable Response in Melanoma Brain Metastases
August 31st 2018

Ipilimumab, Opdivo Provides Durable Response in Melanoma Brain Metastases

Samantha DiGrande
A study recently found that an immunotherapy combination treatment of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) shrank melanoma that had spread to the brain in more than half of participants.
UK Knocks Down Yescarta as CAR T Therapy Gains European Authorization
August 28th 2018

UK Knocks Down Yescarta as CAR T Therapy Gains European Authorization

Samantha DiGrande
Only 1 day after the European Commission approved CAR T-cell therapies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence deemed the treatment too expensive to justify on Britain's state-funded health service.
Utilizing Bioinformatics to Determine a Patient's Response to Immunotherapy
August 24th 2018

Utilizing Bioinformatics to Determine a Patient's Response to Immunotherapy

Samantha DiGrande
A recent study at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy discovered a new way to use bioinformatics to determine how a patient’s immune system responds to immunotherapy.
MEDCAC Panel Mostly Endorses PROs for CAR T Therapies
August 22nd 2018

MEDCAC Panel Mostly Endorses PROs for CAR T Therapies

Allison Inserro
During a meeting of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC), panelists heard from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy drug makers, health researchers, and policy makers, and mostly endorsed including patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in its final national coverage analysis decision, expected next year.
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