Highlights From ASCO

According to data presented at the 2017 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, adoptive T-cell transfer using “nonengineered” T cells is producing durable responses in heavily pretreated patients with lymphoma or multiple myeloma.

In patients with stage III/IV melanoma, intratumoral injections of plasmid interleukin-12 (IL-12) via electroporation enhanced response to immune checkpoint blockade.

The advent of immunotherapy has led to durable clinical responses in a variety of malignancies, but identifying which patients will respond to treatment remains an elusive goal.

As Dr Mita reported at the 2017 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, plinabulin is a small molecule with tumor-inhibiting and immune-enhancing effects.

Durability of benefit—the possibility for sustained remission in patients with previously incurable disease—is already one of the hallmarks of immunotherapy. According to recent statistical analysis, however, this durability may even exceed expectations.

According to data presented at the 2017 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, a single intravenous dose of an oncolytic virus can be highly effective in disseminated cancer as well.

According to preliminary data presented at the 2017 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, when used in combination with either ipilimumab or pembrolizumab, talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) demonstrated promising efficacy with minimal added toxicity.

Immune checkpoint therapy, specifically PD-1 blockade, has improved survival for patients with metastatic cancer, but not all patients respond to treatment.

The term “patient-reported outcome” (PRO) has become ubiquitous in the realm of cancer care. According to Ethan Basch, MD, MSc, PROs are still in the early stages of being integrated into quality assessment programs and routine clinical practice, but engaging patients through PROs can be an invaluable tool for assessing and improving the conduct and quality of symptom management, he said at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium.

To improve the quality of cancer care, the voices of cancer patients should be integrated into care delivery and evaluation, according to Neeraj Arora, PhD. “Patient-centeredness needs to be more than just an add-on to clinical practice,” he said. “When diagnosed with cancer, patients are not only looking to maximize their chances of survival; they are looking for support to guide them through this major ordeal.”