The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) hosted the Summit on Intralesional Immunotherapy: Moving Beyond Oncolytic Viruses on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m.–3:15 p.m. EDT. The virtual summit was a free, public event that featured invited speakers, expert panel discussions, and attendee question and answer periods.
The SITC Summit on Intralesional Immunotherapy highlighted the latest translational and clinical research on intralesional immunotherapies and their impacts on the immune system, anti-tumor immunity, and the tumor microenvironment. Topics addressed at the summit include the current definitions of local immunotherapy, enhancing the effects of in situ vaccination, combining intralesional immunotherapies with other therapies, intralesional immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting, and high priority research areas for the field of intralesional immunotherapy.
This program provided an up-to-date overview of current and emerging intralesional immunotherapies and their potential clinical impact. Didactic presentations and panel discussions identified clinical and translational strategies, challenges, and opportunities in the field, highlighting intralesional immunotherapy as an important tool in the cancer immunotherapy toolbox.
Problem Statement
One unique aspect of intralesional immunotherapy, the direct injection of an immunotherapeutic agent into a tumor site, is that it generates an anti-tumor response at the tumor as well as systemic immunity, translating into long-term clinical benefit. New intralesional immunotherapies are currently in development, and early results indicate they are associated with better safety profiles and longer-term clinical benefits than oncolytic virus-based therapies. Clinical advancement of these therapies has been hampered, in part because of provider uncertainty around dosing, administration, response assessment, and regulatory issues.
Summit Goals and Objectives
The primary objective of the SITC Summit on Intralesional Immunotherapy: Moving Beyond Oncolytic Viruses is to highlight opportunities and challenges in the field of intralesional immunotherapies. Secondary goals include defining intralesional immunotherapy, exploring the effects of intralesional immunotherapies on the immune system, tumor microenvironment and anti-tumor immunity, and articulating high-priority research areas and a path forward for the field.
Summit Organizers
- Joshua Brody, MD - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Tanja de Gruijl, PhD - Amsterdam University Medical Centers
- Howard Kaufman, MD, FACS - Ankyra Therapeutics/Massachusetts General Hospital
- Aurélien Marabelle, MD, PhD - Gustave Roussy
You can find more program details and the summit agenda here.
SITC's Summit on Intralesional Immunotherapy is supported, in part, by grants from our Bronze Supporter, Regeneron, and Copper Supporter, Ankyra and Lytix (Supporters as of August 13, 2024).
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Copper Supporter:
Contact Development@sitcancer.org for more information on how your organization's support can help advance cancer immunotherapy and make "cure" a reality.