Jena D. French, PhD, instructor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, discusses combination regimens exploring immunotherapy and lenvatinib (Lenvima) as treatment for patients with thyroid cancer.

Targeting PD-1 with monotherapy has been successful in several tumor types, French explains. However, it does not produce a complete response throughout an entire patient population. Additionally, lenvatinib has been shown to demonstrate good partial responses in patients; therefore, PD-1 antibodies and lenvatinib combined could show promising efficacy levels.

French says that combination therapies will become a bigger focus in the future treatment landscape of thyroid cancer.

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Jena D. French, PhD, instructor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, discusses combination regimens exploring immunotherapy and lenvatinib as treatment for patients with thyroid cancer.

Jena French on Combinations With Immunotherapy in Thyroid Cancer

Jena D. French, PhD, instructor of medicine, division of endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, discusses the potential for immunotherapy combinations with lenvatinib in differentiated thyroid cancer.

Single-agent anti-PD1 has been successful in a lot of cancers, says French, but it never induces response in an entire population. However, in combination with lenvatinib, it may induce a better response in differentiated thyroid cancer, she says. Lenvatinib also has some ability to effect the immune response in addition to effecting the tumor itself.

Lenvatinib was approved by the FDA as a treatment for patients with progressive, radioactive iodine (RAI)—refractory DTC in February 2015, joining sorafenib (Nexavar), another tyrosine kinase inhibitor, as a first- or second-line treatment option.

The approval was based on findings from the phase III SELECT trial, in which treatment with the multikinase inhibitor reduced the risk of disease progression by 79% (HR, 0.21; 99% CI, 0.14-0.31; 

Researchers are working on finding a biomarker that can identify which patients may respond to lenvatinib and an anti-PD1 inhibitor in combination. Clinical trials will be needed to further this research, says French.

Jena D. French, PhD

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Jena French on Combinations With Immunotherapy in Thyroid Cancer

Jena D. French on Anti-PD-1/Lenvatinib Combo in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer