WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of Amtagvi, a new cancer therapy by Iovance Biotherapeutics, has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of aggressive and advanced tumors. This new treatment, also known as TIL therapy, aims to boost the number of immune cells inside tumors, harnessing their power to fight cancer.
The fast-track approval of Amtagvi, based on the results of a phase 2 clinical trial, marks the first time a cellular therapy has been approved to treat solid tumors. The success of this treatment offers hope for melanoma patients who have exhausted other drug options. According to Dr. Elizabeth Buchbinder of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the approval of this therapy is crucial as melanoma patients typically have limited alternatives for treatment.
TIL therapy has the potential to treat other solid tumors, which make up 90% of all cancers, as noted by Dr. Patrick Hwu, chief executive of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. This therapy involves extracting immune cells from a patient’s tumor, replicating them in a lab, and then reinfusing them back into the patient. It is hoped that future iterations of TIL therapy could also be beneficial for lung cancer, colon cancer, head and neck cancer, and bladder cancer, among others.
Similar to CAR-T cell therapy, TIL therapy is a one-time treatment process that takes up to eight weeks to complete. While side effects from TIL therapy are mainly related to chemotherapy and interleukin-2, successful implementation of this therapy could result in long-term benefits for patients. It is important to note that while the therapy holds promise, much more research is needed before it can be approved for use in different types of cancer.
The success of TIL therapy in treating metastatic melanoma has been demonstrated in clinical trials. For instance, Iovance’s clinical trial data revealed that tumors shrank in about a third of patients who received TIL therapy. This suggests that the therapy has the potential to significantly impact the survival rates of patients with metastatic melanoma.
The development and study of TIL therapy have been ongoing for nearly four decades, and it is considered a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment. As Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, pointed out, the approval of TIL therapy is meaningful for patients who have limited treatment options. The therapy’s potential to work in cancers responsive to immune-based therapies, such as non-small cell lung cancer and kidney cancer, is particularly promising.
The overall impact of the therapy is best summarized by Dr. Friedrich Graf Finckenstein, chief medical officer of Iovance Biotherapeutics, who highlighted the favorable outcomes observed in patients who received TIL therapy. With the potential for these immune cells to stay in the body for decades, TIL therapy offers hope for long-term cancer remission and improved survival rates.
The story of Dan Bennett, a patient who was diagnosed with melanoma in 2011 and has credited TIL therapy for his long-term survival, serves as a powerful testimony to the potential of this treatment. His experience reflects the hope and optimism surrounding the future of cancer treatment through therapies like TIL.
The approval of Amtagvi and the success of TIL therapy in clinical trials mark a significant advancement in cancer treatment, offering hope for patients with limited alternatives. As research into the therapy continues, it holds the potential to impact the way various types of cancer are managed and treated in the future.