Seminars in oncology
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Seminars in oncology · Oct 2015
ReviewCurrent Perspectives in Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the first immune checkpoint inhibitor to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration was nivolumab, based on a survival advantage over docetaxel in recurrent squamous NSCLC, a difficult-to-treat histology. In addition, several other immune checkpoint inhibitors are also in late-stage development. ⋯ The cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) immune checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab and tremelimumab are also under investigation in NSCLC, largely as part of combination approaches rather than as monotherapy. PD-L1 expression as a potential biomarker to select patients most likely to respond to inhibitors of the PD-1 pathway has been widely studied.
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Seminars in oncology · Oct 2015
ReviewSocial Media and Oncology: The Past, Present, and Future of Electronic Communication Between Physician and Patient.
The relationship between patient and physician is in flux with the advent of electronic media that are advancing and enhancing communication. We perform a retrospective, current, and forward-looking examination of the technologies by which information is exchanged within the healthcare community. The evolution from e-mail and listservs to blogs and the modern social networks is described, with emphasis on the advantages and pitfalls of each medium, especially in regard to maintaining the standards of privacy and professionalism to which doctors are held accountable. We support the use of contemporary platforms like Twitter and Facebook for physicians to establish themselves as trustworthy online sources of medical knowledge, and anticipate ongoing collaboration between researchers, patients, and their advocates in trial design and accrual.
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The therapeutic potential of the immune system in the context of hematologic malignancies has long been appreciated particularly due to the curative impact of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). The role of immune system in shaping the biology and evolution of these tumors is now well recognized. ⋯ Hematologic malignancies present distinct issues (relative to solid tumors) for the application of immune therapies due to differences in cell of origin/developmental niche of tumor cells, and patterns of involvement such as common systemic involvement of secondary lymphoid tissues. This article discusses the rapidly changing landscape of immune modulation in hematologic malignancies and emphasizes areas wherein hematologic malignancies present distinct opportunities for immunologic approaches to prevent or treat cancer.
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Seminars in oncology · Jun 2015
ReviewImmune checkpoint blockade in patients with melanoma metastatic to the brain.
Metastatic disease to the brain is a frequent manifestation of melanoma and is associated with a very poor outcome. Systemic therapy with cytotoxic chemotherapy provide only a minimal benefit, while surgery and radiotherapy provide in some patients local control but they less frequently affect the overall outcome of melanoma brain metastases (MBM). ⋯ However, since 2010 the anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab and the BRAF inhibitors, dabrafenib and vemurafenib, have demonstrated initial signs of efficacy in active brain metastases. This chapter reviews the available data and rationale for ongoing and future trials of immune checkpoint-based combination therapy.
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Cancer immunotherapy has become a popular anticancer approach, with the goal of stimulating immune responses against tumor cells. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the use of monoclonal antibodies targeting the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)/programmed death-1 (PD-1) checkpoint pathway can result in well-tolerated clinical responses in a wide variety of tumor types. This review summarizes the safety, clinical activity and biomarker data for the anti-PD-L1 antibody, MPDL3280A, from a phase Ia multicenter, dose-escalation and -expansion trial. The data to date suggest that MPDL3280A is most effective in patients with pre-existing immunity suppressed by PD-L1 and reinvigorated upon antibody treatment.