Dr. Bauer on Rovalpituzumab Tesirine in SCLC

Todd Bauer, MD, associate director, Drug Development, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the emergence of the novel agent rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T) in the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in an interview during the IASLC Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

SCLC, says Bauer, is one of the few cancers that is lacking in targeted therapies. Rova-T, specifically, targets DLL3, a molecule that is expressed in approximately two-thirds of patients with SCLC, making it an excellent marker in this space.

Currently, there are 3 ongoing studies assessing the efficacy of Rova-T. Beyond these trials, Bauer believes oncologists will soon look at Rova-T in a first-line setting, as well as in combination with immunotherapies such as nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy).