Dr. Velcheti and Dr. Borghaei discuss challenges in using programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and tumor mutation burden (TMB) as biomarkers to determine which patients will or won’t respond to immunotherapy with a checkpoint inhibitor as well as whether biomarkers exist to identify which patients will experience adverse events from immunotherapies.
Citing the recent landmark tumor-agnostic approval of pembrolizumab for patients with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) tumors and the approval of nivolumab/ipilimumab in MSI-H/dMMR colorectal cancer, Dr. Velcheti and Dr. Borghaei discuss the role of MSI-H and dMMR testing in immunotherapy treatment selection.
Dr. Velcheti and Dr. Rimm discuss the recent clinical trials that studied tumor mutation burden (TMB) as a biomarker and the mechanisms behind why tumors with high TMB respond to immunotherapy.
Dr. Velcheti and Dr. Rimm discuss the high number of recent programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor approvals and the need to harmonize the various diagnostic assay developments across the supporting clinical trials. Dr. Rimm notes the important difference between companion diagnostics, which must be used to test PD-L1 levels before prescribing a drug, and complementary diagnostics, which the FDA recommends using prior to prescribing the PD-L1 inhibitor.
These activities, certified for CME credit, are jointly provided by:
This certified podcast series is supported by educational grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Lilly USA, LLC.
