There has been no revolution in the oncology field in 2018. We have, however, been able to further confirm the major benefits of immunotherapy for patients with metastatic cancers. Anti-PD1 antibodies have now become the standard of treatment for head and neck cancers, bladder cancers, melanoma, lung carcinomas, kidney cancers, and cutaneous spinocellular carcinomas. Based on mature survival data, we’ll likely be able to cure numerous metastatic cancer patients. Amongst targeted therapies, PARP inhibitors will possibly be more effective in terms of increased progression-free survival. These inhibitors block one of the two DNA repair mechanisms and are active in ovarian cancer patients responding to platinum salt-based chemotherapy. At present, we are witnessing another prognosis improvement in our patients, as a consequence of using these agents at earlier stages and preventing relapse after curative surgery in patients at high-risk of relapse. At the King Albert II Cancer Institute, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, these treatments are now available, as are other new treatments still being investigated, which may become the standard of care in the future.
Key words
Immunotherapy, targeted therapies, anti-PD1 antibodies, PARP inhibitors