Immuno-oncology

Pembrolizumab is an anti-programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) therapy designed to increase the immune system’s ability to detect and fight tumor cells.

Overall survival results from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-522 study provide evidence of improved long-term outcomes from this pembrolizumab-based regimen.

Clinical research presented at ESMO 2024 highlights the significant survival benefits of perioperative and neoadjuvant immunotherapy with nivolumab and nivolumab plus ipilimumab, while emphasizing the role of biomarkers such as ctDNA and KRAS mutations in guiding treatment decisions.

An ESMO 2024 presentation explores the growing role of the gut microbiome in immunotherapy response, emerging diagnostic tools such as PCR chips, and innovative therapies such as fecal microbiota transplantation and microbiome-preserving strategies to improve patient outcomes.

Christian Rolfo discusses 6 different treatment options that are being developed across immunotherapies and antibody drug conjugates for non–small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.

Subcutaneous administration of atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs had similar efficacy to intravenous administration.

Highlights from multiple trials investigating novel treatments for mNSCLC were presented at 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Mary McGann, PharmD, BCOP, offers insights into CAR T-cell therapy and the crucial role of pharmacists in mitigating resistance.

The data builds off prior studies supporting bendamustine-rituximab as a first-line treatment for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The trial is evaluating the success of BNT111 and cemiplimab in treating unresectable stage III or IV melanoma whose disease had progressed following anti-PD-(L)1-containing treatment.

The RUBY trial will continue and analyze the overall population survival after treatment with the drug combination.

Treatment of advanced/metastatic urothelial cancer has changed dramatically in recent years. This review discusses the use, risks, and benefits of several novel therapies for this indication.

Collaboration between community centers and academic medical centers can improve patient access to these complex therapies.

In Iraq, asymmetrical warfare tactics relied heavily on unconventional weaponry, requiring military physicians to improvise new medical techniques in order to increase rates of survival.

The results displayed a dramatic reduction in the individuals’ tumors within days after single treatment.

Results from the phase 3 RATIONALE 302 trial showed tislelizumab-jsgr prolonged survival compared to chemotherapy in patients who received prior systemic treatment.

Less manufacturing time could be the difference between a patient receiving this life-saving therapy vs not.

The immune checkpoint inhibitor increased inflammation within the tumor, which may be linked to better response to nivolumab treatment.

The candidate has already demonstrated anti-tumor activity in chemotherapy-naïve patients.

The CAR T-cell therapy improved relative overall survival by more than a third compared to standard of care.

As the use of sequencing, proteomics, and immunopeptidomics increases, more targets will also be discovered, as well as more biomarkers that predict responses to treatments.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) gains its sixth approval in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the latest indication in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, and then continued as a monotherapy for the post-surgical adjuvant treatment of patients with resectable NSCLC.

Investigators reported that enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev; Astella Pharma Inc, Seagen Inc) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck & Co Inc) met the dual primary endpoints of overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.

Most patients had improved clinical response within 90 days of receiving the dendritic cell vaccine and ASCT.

Nivolumab has also demonstrated efficacy in immunotherapy-based combinations for the treatment of certain types of melanoma and bladder cancers.

Axicabtagene ciloleucel achieved a complete metabolic response of 71% at 3 months versus 12% expected with standard of care among transplant ineligible patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

Microbubble cell separation can make next generation treatments, such as CAR T-cell therapy, more accessible.

The use of base editing to generate universal, off-the-shelf CAR T cells is a promising approach for relapsed leukemia, with potential implications for the future of gene therapy.

Precision medicine in pharmacy has the potential to revolutionize patient care by optimizing drug selection, dosing, and monitoring.

Protection of T cells from tumor-induced suppression suggests potential for enhancing efficacy of therapies, with plans to initiate a phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with advanced breast cancer.