December 29, 2017 – PD1

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Anchor lead: A new class of cancer drugs is associated with some untoward side effects, Elizabeth Tracey reports

PD1 inhibitors are a new class of cancer drugs that have produced some very dramatic turnarounds of the disease in people with specific mutations. But now a down side has emerged: in some folks who take these drugs so-called autoimmune conditions have developed, where the immune system attacks some organ or system in the body. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, explains.

Nelson: Well it’s not surprising and I think what’s happening now is people are trying to figure out ways to recognize these conditions, they don’t arise in everybody, and treat them, it does appear they are treatable and treatable in such a way, at least from what seems to be the case so far that you’re not undermining the ability of this unleased immune system to control the cancer. Does this offer a clue that when you unmask the immune system as to why someone may go on to diabetes or did not, or got colitis instead, and could we learn something from that.  :32

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.