M14TIL: Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Patients With Advanced Melanoma
Source: The ASCO Post , November 2022
A novel treatment strategy with personalized cell therapy significantly improved progression-free survival compared to standard immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma, according to results from the phase III M14TIL trial reported by John Haanen, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022 (Abstract LBA3).
“This study shows for the first time in a randomized, controlled trial that cell therapy can be efficacious and beneficial for patients with solid cancers,” said lead author Dr. Haanen, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. “For patients with melanoma, we see a 50% reduction in the chance of progression of the disease or dying from the disease, which is absolutely practice-changing. This is the first time that a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL)-based approach has been compared directly to standard-of-care treatment—in this case, ipilimumab…. We are now able to position TIL treatment much better in the management landscape for patients with metastatic melanoma.”
“TIL therapy is an extraordinary therapy,” commented George Coukos, MD, PhD, of Lausanne University Hospital and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne, Switzerland, who was not involved in the study. “TIL is a new paradigm for treating cancers and, as these results clearly demonstrate, it’s efficacious and feasible at large scale. The findings raise hopes for the management and potential cure of metastatic solid tumors.”