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Tsai AK, Kagalwalla S, Langer J, Le-Kumar T, Le-Kumar V, Antonarakis ES. Pembrolizumab for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: trials and tribulations. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2024; 24:51-62. [PMID: 38284349 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2024.2311750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Immunotherapies have revolutionized the management of various malignancies but have only recently been evaluated systematically in prostate cancer. Pembrolizumab, a programmed-death 1 (PD-1) blocking antibody, has been utilized in a small subset of prostate cancer patients with mismatch repair deficiency/microsatellite instability, but has now been assessed in broader populations of metastatic prostate cancer patients. AREAS COVERED The results of four pembrolizumab-based phase III clinical trials for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) patients, including KEYNOTE-641, KEYNOTE-921, KEYNOTE-991, and KEYLYNK-010 are summarized. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, the efficacy of pembrolizumab in prostate cancer patients with certain molecular defects, and emerging pembrolizumab-based therapeutic combinations are also reviewed. EXPERT OPINION Pembrolizumab has not benefitted unselected metastatic prostate cancer patients when combined with chemotherapy, next-generation hormonal agents (NHA), or poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi). PD-L1 positivity does not predict the response to pembrolizumab in this disease. A small number of responding patients can likely be explained by rare genetic and molecular defects, and more innovative combination strategies are needed to improve outcomes in prostate cancer patients who are not sensitive to pembrolizumab. Emphasis should be placed on developing additional or alternative immuno-oncology approaches beyond classical immune checkpoint inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander K Tsai
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sana Kagalwalla
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jenna Langer
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Thuy Le-Kumar
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Vikas Le-Kumar
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Emmanuel S Antonarakis
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Gravara LD, Battiloro C, Cantile R, Letizia A, Vitiello F, Montesarchio V, Rocco D. Chemotherapy and/or immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC first-line setting: what is the best approach? Lung Cancer Manag 2020; 9:LMT22. [PMID: 32256708 PMCID: PMC7110571 DOI: 10.2217/lmt-2019-0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Della Gravara
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Ciro Battiloro
- Division of Pulmonary Oncology, AORN dei Colli Monaldi, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Cantile
- Division of Pulmonary Oncology, AORN dei Colli Monaldi, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Fabiana Vitiello
- Division of Pulmonary Oncology, AORN dei Colli Monaldi, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Danilo Rocco
- Division of Pulmonary Oncology, AORN dei Colli Monaldi, Naples, Italy
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Pacheco JM, Camidge DR, Doebele RC, Schenk E. A Changing of the Guard: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors With and Without Chemotherapy as First Line Treatment for Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Front Oncol 2019; 9:195. [PMID: 30984621 PMCID: PMC6450209 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory antibodies targeting programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) have resulted in improved outcomes for many patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in (NSCLC) in the second-line setting due to their ability to lead to prolonged anti-tumor immune responses. Combining these immunotherapies with platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment has resulted in improved response rates and increased survival when compared to platinum-based chemotherapy alone. Certain patient populations may even benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors as monotherapy in the first-line setting. The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab is approved as monotherapy or in combination with platinum + pemetrexed for most newly diagnosed patients with metastatic NSCLC, excluding those with a targetable oncogene such as ALK and EGFR. The PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab is also approved in combination with bevacizumab + carboplatin + paclitaxel for the same population, with some parts of the world also approving this regimen for patients with ALK rearrangements or EGFR activating mutations. However, there are many other chemo-immunotherapy regimens that have been evaluated as initial treatment in metastatic NSCLC. Additionally, combinations of PD-1 axis inhibitors with cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 inhibitors have been examined, although none are yet approved. Here we review the clinical data in support of the current first-line approaches across histologies and biomarker subtypes, as well as highlight future research directions revealed by the current data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Erin Schenk
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO, United States
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Abstract
Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors has opened a new arena in cancer therapeutics. Pembrolizumab is a highly selective anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody that has shown efficacy, leading to survival benefit and durable responses, in some patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC, whose tumors express PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy. Here, we briefly discuss the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and pembrolizumab before delving into the clinical trials that have led to its just-mentioned approval in NSCLC and ongoing clinical trials. Finally, we discuss the use of biomarkers, primarily PD-L1, in the context of pembrolizumab and NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankit Vachhani
- Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Hongbin Chen
- Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA
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