Researchers assess immunotherapy, targeted therapy combination for lung cancer

Immunotherapy combined with targeted therapies may hold promise for patients with lung cancer, according to a press release.

In particular, Jean-Charles Soria, MD, PhD, of the Institute of Gustave Roussy in Paris, and colleagues are studying a new class of drugs — immunocheckpoint regulators — which have demonstrated significant benefit.

Two of these immunocheckpoint molecules include PD-1 (programmed death) and PD-L1 (programmed death ligand-1), according to the press release. It is believed that the molecules prevent immune cells from progressing into mutations.

Jean-Charles Soria

“Blocking PD1 and PD-L1 can result in striking and durable responses, with global overall response rates of 20% to 25% as monotherapy in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer,” Soria said in the release. “These impressive results have yet to be confirmed in other trials; nonetheless immune checkpoint inhibitors will most likely become part of daily practice for non-small-cell lung cancer in the near future.”

Furthermore, Armida D’Incecco, MD, from the Istituto Toscano Tumori in Livorno, Italy, and colleagues have looked at combination immunotherapy and other targeted therapies for the deleterious disease.

They studied the expression of PD-L1 and PD-1 in a group of 123 non-small-cell lung cancer patients and analyzed their cancers for mutations in two other molecules (i.e., epidermal growth factor receptor and the gene, KRAS).

Data demonstrated a significant association between PD-L1 expression and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and between PD-1 expression and KRAS mutations, supporting further studies of anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-1 agents in combination with other targeted therapies, according to the press release.

“This study suggests that PDL-1 expression is correlated with EGFR mutation. If this is true, then immunocheckpoint blockade combination with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors is a major path towards improving outcome of patients who have EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer,” Soria said in the release.