The Potential to Combine KIT and CTLA-4 Blockade in Patients With GIST

Clinical Pearls

William D. Tap, MD, Chief, Sarcoma Medical Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the potential to combine KIT and CTLA-4 blockade in patients with refractory GIST and other advanced sarcomas.

• When GIST respond to imatinib, an important immune-mediated response occurs. Research has shown that an immune response is often responsible for the development of resistance to drugs such as imatinib.
• If a checkpoint inhibitor is given after a TKI, an improvement in the immune response is seen.
• As drug resistance makes GIST difficult to treat, the hope is that combining drugs such as dastinib and ipilimumab may be a new option for patients.