Dr. Drake on Promise of Immunotherapy Combinations in Genitourinary Cancers

Charles G. Drake, MD, PhD, director of Genitourinary Oncology, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and co-director of Columbia’s Cancer Immunotherapy Programs, discusses the potential of combinations between immunotherapy and conventional therapies in genitourinary cancers.

Combinations of chemotherapy and immunotherapy are showing promise in bladder cancer, where traditional chemotherapy regimens are given upfront with immunotherapy. Drake predicts higher response rates and increased progression-free survival, but questions on overall survival remain.

Another combination that is potentially exciting, says Drake, is pairing hormonal therapy with immunotherapy in prostate cancer. Trials were conducted in patients before surgery, where immunotherapy seemed to be an effective addition to hormonal therapy.