Dr. Kunle Odunsi Answers Questions About Immunotherapy Clinical Trials After the 2021 CRI Virtual Immunotherapy Patient Summit

At the CRI Virtual Immunotherapy Patient Summit in October, patients and caregivers were eager to further their understanding of clinical trials.

Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, director of University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and dean for oncology at the University of Chicago’s Biological Services Division led the Immunotherapy Clinical Trials session.

We followed up with Dr. Odunsi after the event to discuss additional questions from attendees.

If one immunotherapy does not work in a clinical trial, can you leave that trial and try another one?

That will depend on the eligibility criteria for the next trial.

I am cancer free right now, living in fear of it coming back. Is there anything I should be reading or subscribed to stay in the loop of future immunotherapy clinical trials to give me peace of mind?

There are several internet websites where you can stay abreast of immunotherapy clinical trials.  Check out the Cancer Research Institute Clinical Trial Finder.

I have had tumor genome testing. Will this hurt my chance of getting into an immunotherapy clinical trial?

Having genomic testing will not hurt your chance of getting into an immunotherapy clinical trial.  

Will mild pneumonitis in the lungs caused by previous treatments disqualify patients from most immunotherapy clinical trials?

Pneumonitis caused by previous treatment with immunotherapy can potentially disqualify patients from future immunotherapy, however it will depend on the type of immunotherapy that is being contemplated.

In the future, do you think that patients will be able to receive immunotherapy at home while on a clinical trial?

As technology continues to improve in the future, it is possible some immunotherapy might be able to be delivered at home with the appropriate safeguards in place for minimizing serious adverse effect.

Learn more about cancer immunotherapy clinical trials