Evolving Treatment Strategies With Cemiplimab: Optimization and Personalization

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS, associate professor of Dermatology and of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) at George Washington (GW) University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and director, Cutaneous Oncology Program at GW Cancer Center, outlines future strategies for refining the therapeutic approach with cemiplimab, now FDA-approved in adjuvant high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), as well as in the broader immuno-oncology landscape.

Watch part 1, part 2, and part 3 of Dr Patel’s interview.

Future directions for cemiplimab utilization are emerging along 2 tracks. Firstly, optimization strategies through biomarkers and selection are being developed using tools like PD-L1 testing, tumor mutational burden, and circulating tumor DNA to refine risk. However, current practice dictates that biomarker use is not necessary to recommend the therapy, as CSCC tumors respond across different PD-L1 expressions and tumor mutational burdens.

Secondly, investigations are ongoing to explore cemiplimab’s applications beyond the adjuvant setting, as well as in combination with intralesional treatments, radiation, and surgery.

“There’s also excitement around potentially utilizing cemiplimab earlier in the disease spectrum and in lower-risk tumors which may be treated with intralesional cemiplimab to augment surgical outcomes or to avoid surgery altogether,” said Dr Patel in the interview. A recently launched phase 3 trial (NCT06585410) is currently evaluating intralesional cemiplimab vs surgery for disease-free survival.

With cemiplimab’s recent approval, the landscape has shifted from realizing the role of immunotherapy in CSCC to developing more optimized, personalized treatments and determining in which settings cemiplimab delivers the most beneficial outcomes.

Read the full interview here.