Dr. Iqbal on the Emergence of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Upper GI Cancers

Syma Iqbal, MD, assistant professor, Division of Oncology, assistant program director, Fellowship Program, Department of Oncology, educational officer, Division of Oncology, co-director, Liver Cancer Program, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck Medicine of USC, discusses the emergence of checkpoint inhibitors in upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

After a period of negative trials, several positive studies have read out that confirm the role for checkpoint inhibitors in the frontline treatment of patients with advanced upper GI tumors irrespective of HER2 status, Iqbal says. Additionally, the checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) demonstrated efficacy as adjuvant therapy for patients with completely resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer with residual pathologic disease who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Nivolumab induced a disease-free survival of 22.4 months vs 11 months with placebo.

Although the integration of checkpoint inhibitors in upper GI tumors represents a significant advancement, the field must adapt ongoing and developing clinical trials amid the emergence of this new standard of care, Iqbal concludes.