Oncolytic Virus Shows High Response Rates in BCG-Unresponsive Bladder Cancer
WASHINGTON — Treatment with cretostimogene grenadenorepvec, an investigational intravesically delivered oncolytic immunotherapy, achieved high response rates in patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) unresponsive to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), according to an interim analysis of the phase III BOND-003 trial. Among 66 patients evaluable for efficacy, 75.7% (95% CI 63-85) achieved a complete response (CR) […]
Multi-Agent Treatment Offers Hope in Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer
MADRID — Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and a PARP inhibitor in the first line improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, according to the DUO-E trial. The trial assessed the combination of durvalumab (Imfinzi) and platinum-based chemotherapy, followed by maintenance therapy with either durvalumab plus the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) or durvalumab […]
Upfront Systemic Therapy, Deferred Surgery Pass Muster in Advanced Kidney Cancer
CHICAGO — Perioperative immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer did not adversely affect outcomes with cytoreductive nephrectomy and appeared to have several beneficial effects, a small multicenter study showed. Primary immunotherapy significantly reduced median tumor size and thrombus length and improved tumor thrombus level and mean RENAL score. Immunotherapy led to pathologic downstaging in 25 of […]
Personalized Cancer Vaccine Boosts Recurrence-Free Survival in Melanoma
ORLANDO — Adding a personalized cancer vaccine to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for resectable melanoma led to a 44% improvement in recurrence-free survival (RFS) versus immunotherapy alone, according to a study reported here. Patients who received the mRNA vaccine, derived from their own tumor, had an 18-month RFS of 78.6% as compared with 62.2% for patients who […]
Possible Role for Ipilimumab in Metastatic Bladder Cancer, Study Suggests
A tailored immunotherapy regimen using nivolumab (Opdivo) induction and “boosts” with nivolumab and high-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) as second-line treatment for metastatic urothelial cancer was associated with higher response rates compared with historical controls, the phase II TITAN-TCC trial showed. Among 83 patients in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, a confirmed investigator-assessed objective response occurred in 33% […]
Fight Cat Allergies With Newest Asthma Drug?
Subcutaneous immunotherapy treatment (SCIT) for reducing cat allergy symptoms appeared to be more effective and longer lasting with the help of tezepelumab (Tezspire), a monoclonal antibody recently approved for severe asthma, results from a phase I/II trial suggested. While the randomized CATNIP trial failed to meet its primary endpoint — a difference in total nasal […]
Active Cellular Immunotherapy Disappoints in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
An autologous dendritic cell-based immunotherapy (DCVAC/PCa) added to chemotherapy did not improve survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), a phase III trial found. Among over 1,100 men with mCRPC, median overall survival (OS) was 23.9 months in those who received DCVAC/PCa plus docetaxel-prednisone compared with 24.3 months for those who received placebo […]
For children, young adults with recurrent AML, immunotherapy shows promise: Natural killer cells could help young patients with few treatment options
An immunotherapy harnessing the immune system’s “natural killer” cells has proven effective in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in some adults whose cancers return. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown, in a small clinical trial, that the same natural killer cells also can help some children and young […]
Experimental drug boosts immunotherapy effectiveness in pancreatic cancer in mice
An experimental drug enhanced the benefit of an immunotherapy to fight pancreatic cancer in mice by increasing the number of immune cells in the immediate vicinity of the tumor, leading to a reduction in tumor growth, and in some mice, eliminating their cancer. The findings, from researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and BioXcel […]
Targeting Bacteria in COPD Shows Promise
One study of an immunotherapy for reducing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations missed its primary endpoint and failed to show a statistically significant benefit even in the subgroup that showed the greatest response. Another study, involving a similar product, showed results so dramatic that an independent expert suspected they were “too good to be […]