Sumit K. Subudhi, MD, PhD, on Results from the Phase 2 CheckMate 650 Trial

Preliminary analysis results from the phase 2 CheckMate 650 trial indicated that the combination use of nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) demonstrated antitumor activity in chemotherapy-naïve and chemotherapy-experienced patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).¹

According to researchers, these early data support the rationale for further evaluation of immune-checkpoint inhibitor-based combinations in patients with mCRPC; however, questions still remain regarding the optimal dose and dose schedule.

“Historically, prostate cancer has been very resistant to checkpoint inhibitors because it is immunologically cold with few tumor-infiltrating T-cells,” principal investigator Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said in a press release.² “These results suggest that a combination approach to increase T-cell infiltration and then block inhibitory pathways may be a useful strategy for treating these patients. Going forward, we plan to optimize the schedule and dosing to improve the safety profile.”

In an interview with CancerNetwork®, Sumit K. Subudhi, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, discussed the study further and what the findings may mean for patients moving forward.

This segment comes from the CancerNetwork® portion of the MJH Life Sciences Medical World News, airing daily on all MJH Life Sciences channels.

References:

1. Sharma P, Pachynski RK, Narayan V, et al. Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Preliminary Analysis of Patients in the CheckMate 650 Trial. Cancer Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.08.007

2. Combination immunotherapy benefits subset of patients with advanced prostate cancer [news release]. Houston. Published September 9, 2020. Accessed September 11, 2020. https://www.newswise.com/articles/combination-immunotherapy-benefits-subset-of-patients-with-advanced-prostate-cancer?ta=home