Dr. Choueiri on Checkpoint Inhibitors to Treat Sarcomatoid Carcinoma

Toni Choueiri, MD, director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, director, Kidney Cancer Center, senior physician, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Chair and professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, discusses the use of checkpoint inhibitors to treat patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma.

Several studies on difficult-to-treat histologies, such as sarcomatoid carcinoma, indicate patients respond to checkpoint inhibitors and have better outcomes, according to Choueiri. This patient population does not respond well to chemotherapy or targeted therapy. Therefore, Choueiri speculates there is an immune signature or biological difference in this patient population.

Choueiri looks forward to continuing with checkpoint inhibitors and immunotherapy as a whole. Sarcomatoid carcinoma is aggressive; therefore, having a consensus among physicians regarding how to treat it is very important. Thus far, checkpoint inhibitors seem to be the “winners,” in terms of effective treatments, according to Choueiri.