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t m c ยป p u l s e | j u n e 2 0 1 5 21 What Makes Cancer Immunotherapy Effective? S P E C I F I C I T Y T-cells, the immune system's attack cells, can recognize and specifically target cancer cells, as opposed to chemotherapy, for example, which can also harm healthy cells. M E M O R Y If the tumor comes back, the T-cells will remember it, turn on again and kill it again. A D A P TA B I L I T Y The genome of cancer cells is highly unstable, but as they mutate, the immune system can adapt and continue to fight. How Does Immune Checkpoint Blockade Work? T-cells have molecules on them, known as "checkpoint molecules," that act as brakes on the immune response. Checkpoint blockade drugs inhibit those brakes and allow the immune system to respond freely. What Drugs Related to Immune Checkpoint Blockade are FDA-approved? Yervoy, which inhibits the checkpoint molecule CTLA-4, and Keytruda and Opdivo, which inhibit PD-1, have been approved for use in patients with metastatic melanoma. Opdivo has also been approved for use in lung cancer. U N O T H E R A P Y Can Immunotherapy be Combined with Other Forms of Treatment? Genomically targeted therapies produce a response from a high percentage of patients, but the response doesn't last. Immunotherapy provides a durable response among a smaller percentage of patients. Dr. Allison and Dr. Sharma suggest combining the two would yield optimal results: a high response rate and durability. What is Cancer Immunotherapy? Cancer immunotherapy is a field of cancer treatment that uses the patient's own immune system to fight cancer. THE PATIENT'S OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM UNLEASHES SELECTIVELY KILLING CANCEROUS CELL HEALTHY CELL Chemotherapy Geonomically targeted therapy Immune checkpoint therapy Combination of geonomically targeted therapy and immune checkpoint therapy TIME PERCENTAGE SURVIVAL Chemotherapy Geonomically targeted therapy Immune checkpoint therapy Combination of geonomically targeted therapy and immune checkpoint therapy TIME PERCENTAGE SURVIVAL Treatment Effectiveness (Source: Cancer Research Institute) IMMUNOTHERAPY