Immunotherapy has brought promising breakthroughs to several types of cancer. Cervical cancer has a relatively large number of mutations (gene changes), which may make it more sensitive to immunotherapy drugs and may apply immunotherapy to cervical cancer.
A number of clinical trials are in full swing, and the researchers recently summarized a phase II trial of single drug nivolumab (Opdivo) for recurrent cervical cancer. Among the 24 patients: 19 had cervical cancer, 5 had vaginal cancer, and 26% of cervical cancer patients responded to the drug, which is an encouraging result.
Researchers will continue to improve the single-drug program through further trials, but are also pursuing another approach: combination trials. Studies using single-agent immunotherapy with drugs such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or nivolumab show that 15% -25% of patients are active, but the remaining patients are inactive, and there is much room for improvement. For this reason, the researchers are more focused on combined trials of cervical cancer.
Tilraun er í gangi til að para ónæmismeðferðarlyfið atezolizumab (Tecentriq) við sjúkdómsvaldandi lyfið bevacizumab, sem kemur í veg fyrir að krabbameinsfrumur myndi nýjar æðar sem þurfa að vaxa. Bevacizumab er virkt lyf gegn leghálskrabbameini og það eru forklínískar upplýsingar um að bevacizumab geti bætt virkni ónæmismeðferðar. Þess vegna er þetta spennandi blanda af leghálskrabbameini og við bíðum spennt eftir niðurstöðum þessarar rannsóknar.
In another clinical trial, researchers are studying how two immunotherapy drugs, durvalumab (IMFINZI) and tremelimumab, can be combined with radiation therapy to see if radiation can enhance the immune response.
Sífellt fleiri rannsóknir á ónæmismeðferð við leghálskrabbameini hafa aukið mikla von hjá leghálskrabbameinssjúklingum og við hlökkum til betri meðferðaráhrifa.
