Dr. Monk on the Limitations of Current Treatment in Metastatic/Recurrent Cervical Cancer

Bradley J. Monk, MD, FACS, FACOG, US oncology medical director of Gynecologic Oncology Research and a professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, discusses the limitations of current treatment options in metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer.

Since its approval in 2014, the triplet regimen of bevacizumab (Avastin), paclitaxel, and cisplatin/topotecan has remained the standard frontline therapy for these patients, Monk explains. The combination, which contains the first targeted therapy approved in a gynecologic malignancy, is associated with an overall survival benefit for patients with metastatic disease.

Additionally, in June 2018, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) received regulatory approval for the treatment of women with metastatic cervical cancer who experience disease progression on or after chemotherapy and whose tumors express PD-L1 with a combined positive score of 1 or more. However, the response rate was only 14.3%, says Monk.

Metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer remains a lethal disease. As such, novel regimens are needed to improve responses for patients with this malignancy, concludes Monk.