Immunotherapy: Looking to the future of cancer therapy
Immunotherapy has shown efficacy in improving cancer survival rates.
In several studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2024, researchers examined long-term survival rates among patients with advanced melanoma, early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and muscle-invasive bladder cancer who received immunotherapy drugs.
In the phase II CheckMate 067 trial, patients with advanced melanoma received a combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab. The researchers observed a median overall survival of just less than 72 months in these patients. Those who demonstrated no disease progression for at least three years after initial response to immunotherapy experienced a 10-year melanoma-specific survival rate of 96%.
Further, patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer who received immunotherapy drugs plus chemotherapy prior to surgery, followed by immunotherapy postsurgery, experienced a statistically significant and clinically meaningful increase in overall survival. The five-year overall survival rate was just under 87%.
In the phase III NIAGARA trial, patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer received durvalumab plus chemotherapy prior to surgery, followed by immunotherapy. The researchers discovered that these patients had longer event-free survival and overall survival.
The findings highlighted the potential of immunotherapy to improve cancer therapy across multiple tumor types. However, more research will be needed to better understand how to overcome immunotherapy resistance in certain cancers.
Read more: ESMO Congress 2024
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