New publication: Retrospective analysis of 131 stage IV cancer patients treated with a combined protocol of low-dose checkpoint inhibitors, IL-2, and hyperthermia

In Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy R. Kleef et al. have just published the paper

"Low-dose ipilimumab plus nivolumab combined with IL-2 and hyperthermia in cancer patients with advanced disease: exploratory findings of a case series of 131 stage IV cancers – a retrospective study of a single institution".

The publication is "open access": https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00262-020-02751-0

Treatment consisted of locoregional- and whole-body hyperthermia, individually dose adapted interleukin 2 (IL-2) combined with low-dose ipilimumab (0.3 mg/kg) plus nivolumab (0.5 mg/kg). Fever-range whole-body hyperthermia was conducted with heckel-HT3000.

The authors conclude that "the immune-related adverse events profile of the combined treatment is safer than that of the established protocols without compromising efficacy".

Good response rates were observed even in cancer entities where immunotherapy has not yet been established as standard therapy.

 

Fig. 1 Detailed history and chest X-rays of a patient with triple-negative breast cancer from diagnosis and treatment before (a) and after attending (b) the outpatient clinic with the respective regimen. Long-term follow-up is also displayed supported by chest X-rays.

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