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VIDEO: Evidence emerging for both immune, targeted strategies to treat kidney, bladders cancers
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Sumanta Pal, MD, medical oncologist and co-director of the kidney cancer program at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif., shares updates on immunotherapeutic strategies in the treatment of genitourinary cancers.
He discusses the potential of the PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol-Myers Squibb) in kidney cancer, pointing to “promising activity” in phase 1 results and “exceptional responses” in phase 2 findings in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and detailing key phase 3 data from the CheckMate 025 trial.
Pal provides context for the success of nivolumab with insight on the dual vascular endothelial growth factor receptor and MET inhibitor cabozantinib (Cometriq, Exelixis), which is “close on its heels” and creating a “fairly contentious debate” between immune and targeted strategies.
He goes on to cover the “incredible developments” in both PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors in bladder cancer that have moved the field beyond cisplatin-based chemotherapy, highlighting the durable response rates seen with atezolizumab (MPDL3280A).
Again, he emphasizes an “emerging body of evidence surrounding targeted therapies for advanced urothelial cancer” and gives examples of where they are being directed.
“There’s certainly therapies that we are excited about waiting in the wings … [but] the PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors are certainly the furthest along in terms of clinical development.”