ITOC 2022 | Chemotherapy and immunotherapy: to combine or not to combine?

Mascha Binder, MD, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany, provides an overview of a debate held at the Immunotherapy of Cancer (ITOC) Conference 2022 involving discussion surrounding whether it is beneficial to combine chemotherapy with immunotherapy. Combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy provides the ability to quickly eradicate tumor cells that produce immunosuppressive agents and additionally eradicate immunosuppressive subsets. However, immune effector cells may be negatively impacted by chemotherapy if applied simultaneously. Therefore, it may be most beneficial to apply the two modalities sequentially, which has been demonstrated in clinical trials. Prof. Binder highlights clinical endpoints rather than the biological rationale to justify combining the two modalities. This interview took place at the Immunotherapy of Cancer (ITOC) Conference 2022 in Munich, Germany.

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