Letter from the Editor
(1).jpg) Dear JITC Readers:
The fields of cancer immunology and immunotherapy have experienced a tremendous increase in excitement and momentum in recent years, and one of the many ways in which this fact is demonstrated is in the latest approvals of immunologically active agents along with the promising results in a greater number of cancer vaccines and cellular therapies. This month’s issue of JITC includes three notable features highlighting the importance of immunotherapy trials and the regulatory approvals received based on their results.
As vaccine adjuvants largely dictate the type and magnitude of the T cell response after vaccination, it is critical to understand how they work to design safe, but also effective, cancer vaccines for clinical use. In a Review entitled “Adjuvants for peptide-based cancer vaccines,” Willem Overwijk and Hiep Khong discuss current insights into the mechanism of action and practical application of vaccine adjuvants, with a focus on peptide-based cancer vaccines.
The combination of immunotherapy with radiotherapy is an actively growing field of clinical investigation, with rapid expansion in the number and type of clinical trials. In a Clinical Trials Monitor entitled “Current clinical trials testing the combination of immunotherapy with radiotherapy,” Josephine Kang and colleagues review some of the available types of immunotherapies that are currently being tested in combination with radiotherapy. The paper also includes the challenges in the design and evaluation of current trials as well as the selection of appropriate radiation dose, fractionation, sequencing of therapies and meaningful trial endpoints.
The recent approval of Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) for the treatment of advanced melanoma in the U.S., Europe and Australia, represents the first “green light” for an engineered oncolytic virus as an immunotherapeutic in clinical practice. However, the adoption of T-VEC by the U.S. oncology community has been slow, and so far has been largely limited to specialized cancer centers. In a Clinical Trials Monitor entitled “Into the clinic: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), a first-in-class intratumoral oncolytic viral therapy,” Hasan Rehman and colleagues review the development of T-VEC and suggest how it fits into the current clinical treatment paradigm. In addition, suggestions for future directions for drug preparation, administration and monitoring of response to therapy are provided.
With best regards,
Pedro J. Romero, MD
Editor-in-Chief, Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
Review
From the Authors
"An ideal cancer vaccine consists of tumor antigen and vaccine adjuvant to activate tumor-specific T cells that induce tumor regression. This review describes the immunological mechanisms, as well as specific molecular adjuvants, that make up effective anti-cancer vaccines."
Willem W. Overwijk, PhD — University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Short Report
From the Authors
"This short article describes the Immunoscore® assay for Colon Cancer, which allows an accurate assessment of intra- and peri-tumoral T cell infiltration; the research version of this test has been confirmed to be a strong prognostic marker in a large retrospective study led by SITC. The article details the sample requirements, the IHC and digital pathology steps performed with a dedicated image analysis software, and explains how the score is calculated and reported. With Immunoscore® Colon, HalioDx will provide clinicians with the first standardized immune-based assay for helping with colon cancer patient management."
Fabienne Hermitte, PhD — HalioDx
Case Report
 |
A case report of Grover’s disease from immunotherapy-a skin toxicity induced by inhibition of CTLA-4 but not PD-1
Marc Uemura, Faa’k Faisal, Cara Haymaker, Natalie McQuail, Elizabeth Sirmans, Courtney W. Hudgens, Lydia Barbara, Chantale Bernatchez, Jonathan L. Curry, Patrick Hwu, Michael T. Tetzlaff and Adi Diab
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2016, 4:55 (20 September 2016) |
From the Authors
"In our manuscript, we present a case of Grover’s disease induced by ipilimumab, but not pembrolizumab. Our descriptive immune analysis demonstrates higher transcription of GATA3 over RORγT and Tbet. This suggests that this immune-related adverse event may be mediated by Th2 cells."
Adi Diab, MD — University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
From the Authors
"Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors has been associated with atypical radiographic response patterns; this highlights the importance of multidisciplinary evaluation of such cases to avoid premature discontinuation of effective therapy. Our report describes a case of increased FDG uptake in lymphoid tissue as a surrogate marker of immune activation, suggesting broader applicability of FDG avidity not only as a tool for disease staging and monitoring, but also as an imaging biomarker to predict prognosis and therapeutic efficacy."
Katy Tsai, MD — University of California, San Francisco
Research Article
 |
A retrospective analysis of High-Dose Interleukin-2 (HD IL-2) following Ipilimumab in metastatic melanoma
Elizabeth I. Buchbinder, Anasuya Gunturi, Jessica Perritt, Janice Dutcher, Sandra Aung, Howard L. Kaufman, Marc S. Ernstoff, Girald P. Miletello, Brendan D. Curti, Gregory A. Daniels, Sapna P. Patel, John M. Kirkwood, Sigrun Hallmeyer, Joseph I. Clark, Rene Gonzalez, John M. Richart, Joe Lutzky, Michael A. Morse, Ryan J. Sullivan and David F. McDermott
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2016, 4:52 (20 September 2016) |
From the Author
"High-dose Interleukin-2 has activity in the treatment of advanced melanoma in patients who progressed following immune checkpoint blockade with ipiliumumab. High-dose IL-2 therapy can be safely administered to patients after ipilimumab, however patients should be closely monitored for immune checkpoint-related colitis."
Elizabeth Buchbinder, MD — Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Commentary
From the Authors
"Currently, refractory lymphoma or advanced solid tumors have an unfavorable prognosis as conventional therapies are often not curative while providing high levels of toxicity. The recent advances gained in the field of NK cell allo-reactivity in the therapy of cancer provide new alternative approaches to remarkably improve host antitumor immune responses."
Domenico Mavilio, MD, PhD — University of Milan
Clinical Trials Monitor
From the Authors
"The partnership of immunotherapy with radiation is an actively growing field of clinical investigation, with rapid expansion in the number and type of clinical trials. In this review, we provide an update of currently ongoing clinical trials, and discuss issues pertaining to the optimal incorporation of immunotherapy with radiation, including sequencing of treatment, radiation dosing and evaluation of clinical trial endpoints."
Silvia Formenti, MD — New York-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center
From the Authors
"The approval of T-VEC for the treatment of melanoma represents a milestone in the development of oncolytic viruses as a new class of cancer therapeutic. The clinical implementation of T-VEC is distinct from other agents since the drug is a replicating virus and requires close attention to dosing, delivery technique and biosafety processes. This article reviews the indications for T-VEC and provides clinical pearls for how best to integrate T-VEC into the clinic and management of patients with melanoma."
Howard L. Kaufman, MD, FACS — Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
August Highly Accessed Articles
 PD-L1 biomarker testing for non-small cell lung cancer: truth or fiction?
Claud Grigg and Naiyer A. Rizvi
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2016 4:48 (16 August 2016)
Cardiotoxicity associated with CTLA4 and PD1 blocking immunotherapy
Lucie Heinzerling, Patrick A. Ott, F. Stephen Hodi, Aliya N. Husain, Azadeh Tajmir-Riahi, Hussein Tawbi, Matthias Pauschinger, Thomas F. Gajewski, Evan J. Lipson and Jason J. Luke
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2016 4:50 (16 August 2016)
Submit your Research to JITC
 SITC members and nonmembers are invited to submit manuscripts to the society's official journal.
Categories
• Basic Tumor Immunology
• Case Reports
• Clinical/Translational Cancer Immunotherapy
• Clinical Trials Monitor
• Commentary/Editorials
• Immunotherapy Biomarkers
• Reviews
JITC Editor-in-Chief
Pedro J. Romero, MD – University of Lausanne
Section Editors
Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD – University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
Christian Capitini, MD – University of Wisconsin - Madison
Leisha Emens, MD, PhD – Johns Hopkins University
Bernard A. Fox, PhD – Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Center
Thomas F. Gajewski, MD, PhD – University of Chicago
F. Stephen Hodi, Jr., MD – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Cornelis J.M. Melief, MD, PhD – ISA Therapeutics BV
Alfred Zippelius, MD – University Hospital Basel
To view the full editorial board, please click here.
SITC Members Receive Complimentary Article Processing Charges in 2016
As a thank you to our members, SITC is offering complimentary article processing charges throughout 2016 (a $2,500 USD savings). For your membership code, contact the SITC office at +1 (414) 271-2456.
|
.JPG)
