Dr. Rudin Discusses the Success of Immunotherapy in SCLC

Charles M. Rudin, MD, PhD, chief, Thoracic Oncology Service, co-director, Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research, Sylvia Hassenfeld Chair in Lung Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the success of immunotherapy in small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

This is an exciting time for SCLC, Rudin says, as new targets are emerging and new strategies are being deployed. One of the recent successes was with the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq). In patients with extensive-stage SCLC, the addition of atezolizumab to standard carboplatin and etoposide in the frontline setting significantly prolonged survival compared with the chemotherapy regimen alone, according to findings from the IMpower133 trial.

The global, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase I/III IMpower133 study showed a clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival over the current standard of care for these patients. Rudin says although this is a positive study, the duration of response was not very long. There is still work being done to extend benefit though, and trials are ongoing, he adds.