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Immunotherapy in Older Adults with Cancer

  • Geriatric Oncology (AR MacKenzie, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to examine the latest research and data on the use of immunotherapy in older adults with cancer in order to identify key gaps in the literature for future research.

Recent Findings

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are gaining approval and being incorporated into routine clinical use for numerous malignancies across age groups due to their overall efficacy and favorable side effect profiles.

Summary

Although immune checkpoint inhibitors appear both safe and effective in older adults, deliberate study of immunotherapies in older adults is highly warranted given the paucity of data in a population with unique immunobiology that comprises the majority of the cancer population worldwide.

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Funding

Supported in part by the Walter B. Frommeyer Fellowship in Investigative Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Williams) and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (K08CA234225 GRW, K23 CA204726 DBJ).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Richard Curtis Godby

  2. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Douglas B. Johnson

  3. Division of Hematology/Oncology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care, Institute of Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Avenue South, Lowder 500, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA

    Grant R. Williams

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Correspondence to Grant R. Williams.

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Disclaimer

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Conflict of Interest

Richard Curtis Godby declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Douglas B. Johnson has received research funding from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Incyte; has served on advisory boards for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Incyte, Array BioPharma, Genoptix, Merck, and Novartis; and has received reimbursement for travel expenses from Genentech.

Grant R. Williams declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Geriatric Oncology

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Godby, R.C., Johnson, D.B. & Williams, G.R. Immunotherapy in Older Adults with Cancer. Curr Oncol Rep 21, 56 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-019-0806-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-019-0806-2

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