May 19, 2016
July 2015, Vol. 2, No. 4
Sharing Experiences with Immunotherapy: Call for Case Studies
Dear Colleague, We are pleased to offer this issue of Immunotherapy in Oncology (ITO). This is truly an inspiring time in medicine with many promising advances in use and on the horizon. The initial breakthroughs in immunotherapy have prompted great applause but have given way to the immense body of [ Read More ]
Checkpoint Modulation for Lung Cancer
Numerous clinical studies are under way investigating the blockade of inhibitory “checkpoint pathways†to enhance the antitumor immune response One promising approach to treating lung cancer involves augmenting the existing antitumor immune responses through blockade of inhibitory checkpoint pathways (ie, natural mechanisms that serve to limit the immune response).1 Checkpoint [ Read More ]
Vaccines for the Treatment of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
Although vaccines are not yet a standard procedure in the therapeutic management of patients with NSCLC, they may play an important role in the future Therapeutic cancer vaccines are classified as either whole-cell vaccines (such as the belagenpumatucel-L vaccine, developed from 4 different NSCLC cell lines) or vaccines that target [ Read More ]
CAR T-Cell Therapy for B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Review of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials
Outcomes in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remain poor, with long-term disease-free survival rates of 30% to 40%.1 Salvage chemotherapy regimens demonstrate limited success in inducing and maintaining a second remission, and consequently overall survival (OS) at 5 years after relapse is as low as 7%.2 Patients who achieve a [ Read More ]
UncategorizedCase: “Difficult-to-Operate†Basal Cell Carcinoma
Surgery may not be appropriate in advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC), such as those in difficult-to-treat locations or when the deformity would be substantial. At the Third Annual World Cutaneous Malignancies Congress, a panel discussed a complex case of advanced BCC, offering their opinions on the need for imaging, surgery, [ Read More ]
UncategorizedCheckpoint Blockade: Durable Responses in Lung and Kidney Cancers and Metastatic Melanoma
A new guideline from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) incorporates nivolumab as subsequent therapy for metastatic squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following its recent FDA approval. In advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), immune checkpoint blockade may provide a new approach to treat this disease, with durable responses achieved [ Read More ]
Immunotherapy May Prolong Recurrence-Free Survival in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Personalized medicine in the form of immunotherÂapy holds promise for maintenance treatment of late-stage ovarian cancer, according to a phase 2 study. The personalized vaccine, made from the patient’s own tumor cells, was able to prolong recurrence-free survival compared with standard of care, according to study results presented at the [ Read More ]