Dr. Atkins on the Impact of Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center Consortium on Sarcoma Treatment

Michael B. Atkins, MD, the deputy director of Georgetown-Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as the Scholl Professor and vice chair of the Department of Medical Oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, discusses the impact of the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center Consortium on the treatment of patients with sarcoma.

In the case of a 19-year-old male with stage IV epithelioid sarcoma who progressed on multiple prior lines of therapy, the value of the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center Consortium is that it includes a lot of expertise in immunotherapy, as well as pediatric sarcoma therapy and biology, says Atkins.

Specialists were able to think through what might have happened in this particular case to ensure the results could be published in a way that was informative, not just for the individual patient, but for the pediatric sarcoma population as a whole, explains Atkins. Another goal was to drive conversation about how this experience could potentially impact more patients with this disease, adds Atkins.

This case led to a publication with a description of the potential biology of the disease and insights into the combination regimen of ipilimumab (Yervoy) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with melanoma, according to Atkins. The publication enhanced the understanding of how the regimen might have contributed to that patient’s individual response and the type of biology to look for, concludes Atkins.