ELCC 2019 | Predicting response to checkpoint inhibitors and overcoming resistance in lung cancers

Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, MD, PhD, of the University of Turin, Turin, Italy, discusses the predictive factors for a patient’s response to immune checkpoint inhibition treatment, where only a minority are highly responsive, as well as future steps for addressing resistance. Speaking at the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC), held in Geneva, Switzerland, Prof. Scagliotti explains the difficulty of predicting patient response to immunotherapy due to the presence of enrichment factors such PD-L1, with rate of tumor mutation acting as a better predictive factor. He concludes that further clinical trials must be carried out to overcome immunotherapy resistance, and that lung cancers will potentially be targetted wiht a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy in the future.