Atezolizumab - Renamed Tecentriq - FDA approved for urothelial cancer

When first diagnosed, my oncologist, with tears in his eyes, told me that melanoma and renal cancers were the ones he most hated giving the diagnosis of and trying to treat.  Not the most appropriate thing to say to me at that moment in 2003...but...  He wasn't wrong.  No effective treatments were in the works at that time and both are vicious with a poor prognosis.  BUT....times they be a changing!!!  A dear one of mine with a urothelial cancer has been participating in a Nivo/Opdivo trial.  He and others with that disease have been gleaning responses.  And now....Atezolizumab (Tecentriq) a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor, has just been FDA approved for urothelial cancers.

FDA Press release re: Atezolizumab

Hopefully this will give folks dealing with bladder (and related) cancers some relief and cures!!!  It is being tested in melanoma world as well.  Remember this from Weber's update?

Immunology up-date/webinar by Weber 2016

There he said this: 

Vemurafenib Plus Atezolizumab in BRAF-Mutant Melanoma—Trial Design

Patients with untreated BRAFV600-mutant unresectable or metastatic melanoma (N = 17)  
Cohorts: 1- atezo and vemurafenib together   2- vemurafenib X 56 days followed by atezo
3- vemurafenib X 28 days  followed by Atezo.  Atezolizumab (an anti PD-L1 anti-body) was given IV q 3 wk at 20 or 15 mg/kg and Vemurafenib was BID at 960 mg during run in, then decreased to 720mg bid.
Confirmed overall response rate:  Cohort 1 - 33%, Cohort 2 - 75 %, Cohort 3 - 100%.  Overall 76% response rate.  Median of 12.2 months.  AE's were manageable with no grade 4.  Additive activity with excellent level of response.  You will hear much more about this combo in the future.

Hang in there, ratties of all stripes!!!  Working together we help each other....and...times they be a changing!!! - c