Dr. Monk on the Growing Role of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Cervical Cancer

Bradley J. Monk, MD, FACS, FACOG, professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Arizona Oncology (US Oncology Network), University of Arizona College of Medicine, Creighton University School of Medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital, medical director, Gynecologic Program, US Oncology Research Network, co-director, GOG Partners, discusses the growing role of checkpoint inhibitors in cervical cancer.

Checkpoint inhibitors have found place in the treatment of cervical cancer after pembrolizumab (Keytruda) received accelerated approval from the FDA in June 2018 for the second-line treatment of patients with PD-L1–positive disease, followed by the agent’s full approval in October 2021, Monk says. Currently, cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) is under review as another potential agent in the second line, Monk explains.

Further studies are investigating the use of checkpoint inhibitors in the frontline setting with chemotherapy and radiation. The phase 3 KEYNOTE-A18 trial (NCT04221945) is examining chemoradiotherapy with or without pembrolizumab in locally advanced cervical cancer, and the phase 3 CALLA trial (NCT03830866) is evaluating durvalumab (Imfinzi) with or without chemoradiotherapy for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer, Monk continues.

The eagerly awaited results from these studies could continue to push checkpoint inhibitors higher into the treatment paradigm in cervical cancer, Monk concludes.