Duration of immunotherapy - should we continue ad infinitum?

Annabel Smith; Gohar Shaghayegh; Alexander M Menzies; Rachel Roberts-Thomson

doi:10.1111/imj.14919

Duration of immunotherapy - should we continue ad infinitum?

Intern Med J. 2020 Jul;50(7):865-868. doi: 10.1111/imj.14919.

Authors

Annabel Smith¹, Gohar Shaghayegh², Alexander M Menzies³, Rachel Roberts-Thomson¹

Affiliations

¹ Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
² Department of Surgery, Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Research, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
³ Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 32656984
DOI: 10.1111/imj.14919

Abstract

The optimal duration of immunotherapy treatment for cancer patients is unknown. As the survival data from early immunotherapy trials mature we are beginning to appreciate how durable responses can be post-discontinuation. The purpose of this brief communication is to comment on treatment duration of immunotherapy in patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer and to provide practice guidance in support of discontinuation.

Keywords: NSCLC; discontinuation; duration; immunotherapy; melanoma; non-small cell lung cancer.

MeSH terms

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* / therapy
Humans
Immunotherapy
Lung Neoplasms* / therapy
Melanoma* / therapy