Selecting immuno-oncology-based drug combinations - what should we be considering?

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Cancer Treatment

Background:

• Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy has transformed advanced cancer treatment.
• Response to these therapies requires pre-existing immunity and is enhanced in inflamed tumors.
• Converting non-inflamed tumors to inflamed environments is a key therapeutic goal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review emerging combination approaches with anti-PD-1 agents for cancer treatment.
• To assess the efficacy and safety of these novel combination strategies.
• To explore the potential of triplet combinations involving anti-PD-1 agents.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical trials assessing anti-PD-1 agents in combination with various treatments.
• Inclusion of combinations with TLR9 agonists, oncolytic peptides/vaccines, LAG-3, HDAC inhibitors, GITR, and interleukin-2.
• Assessment of combinations with locoregional or systemic modalities like ECT, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.

Main Results:

• Combinations with anti-PD-1 agents demonstrate promising results.
• Emerging approaches show increased efficacy compared to anti-PD-1 monotherapy.
• Combination therapies generally exhibit well-tolerated safety profiles, comparable to monotherapy.

Conclusions:

• Combination approaches with anti-PD-1 agents are a significant focus of research.
• These combinations offer enhanced efficacy and acceptable safety for advanced cancers.
• Future research may involve exploring triplet anti-PD-1 combinations.