WCLC 2016 | Checkpoint inhibitors in small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

David Spigel, MD of Sarah Cannon, Nashville, TN talks about his group’s involvement in a trial looking at checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab or nivolumab and ipilimumab in relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (NCT01928394). The study has shown ongoing activity with both drugs and activity is higher with the combination. Furthermore, it is not clear that PD-L1 expression is not necessary to benefit from this drug, but patients with this expression will certainly be better off. Another study with pembrolizumab has added to evidence that checkpoint inhibitors shows activity in SCLC (NCT02054806). This is exciting as there have been few breakthroughs in SCLC. Recorded at the 2016 World Conference of Lung Cancer (WCLC) of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Vienna, Austria.