Immuno-oncology
From the Journals
Kymriah cost effectiveness depends on long-term outcomes
The value proposition for the pricey CAR T-cell therapy depends on whether the real-world outcomes are as good as the ones seen in clinical trials...
From the Journals
Skin signs may be good omens during cancer therapy
Vitiligo, rash, nail changes, and other cutaneous toxicities are associated with good clinical outcomes with three major classes of cancer...
From the Journals
HIV-associated Kaposi sarcoma responds to checkpoint inhibitors
Checkpoint inhibitor therapy is effective for patients with HIV-associated Kaposi sarcoma (KS), a recent study has found.
Partial or...
From the Journals
PD1 mRNA may predict response to anti-PD1 monotherapy across cancer types
High levels of PD1 mRNA were significantly associated with response to anti-PD1 monotherapy for 117 patients with advanced cancers who had...
Conference Coverage
CAR T coverage: Drugmakers say no to patient reported outcomes
Medicare officials are expected to make a national coverage decision on CAR T-cell therapies in February 2019.
From the Journals
Nivolumab plus ipilimumab effective in melanoma brain metastases
Treatment with nivolumab plus ipilimumab resulted in clinically meaningful efficacy for melanoma patients with asymptomatic, previously untreated...
From the Journals
Adding checkpoint inhibitors to radiotherapy requires particular caution in this one scenario
Among scenarios where immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) might be combined, particular caution is needed in the setting of brain metastases,...
From the Journals
Baseline steroids may reduce efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors
Corticosteroid use at the time of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade was linked with decreased PFS and OS in multivariate analysis.
From the Journals
Nivolumab plus ipilimumab boosts response rate in refractory esophagogastric cancer
The nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination was considered most likely to offer clinical benefit for first-line metastatic esophagogastric cancer...
News
Signal strength may limit potency of CAR T-cell therapy
The “slower burning” 4-1BB CAR signal led to T cells that better retained their function in vivo and were associated with longer median survival...
Feature
CMS finalizes CAR T-cell therapy inpatient payments
Medical associations are disappointed with CMS’s payment structure for CAR T-cell therapy usage, calling it insufficient.