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Immunotherapy: New Hope for Women with Gynecologic Cancers
Immunotherapy, a treatment strategy that has already proven effective in treating melanoma, certain types of lung, head and neck, and gastrointestinal cancers, as well as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is showing promise in gynecologic cancers. Here is an overview of recent advances.
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Immunotherapy, a treatment strategy that has already proven effective in treating melanoma, certain types of lung, head and neck, and gastrointestinal cancers, as well as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is showing promise in gynecologic cancers. Here is an overview of recent advances.
Endometrial, cervical, and ovarian (or fallopian tube) cancers—the most common gynecologic cancers—affect an average of 12,000 new women each year in France. While cervical and endometrial cancers can be cured when detected at a localized stage, there is currently no effective treatment for recurrence. Ovarian cancers, which are often diagnosed late, are difficult to cure.
Promising Immunotherapies for Several Gynecologic Cancers
Immunotherapy, which uses the immune system to destroy cancer cells, is a treatment that has been used successfully in the treatment of certain gynecological cancers. Pembrolizumab is one of the most commonly prescribed immunotherapies in France, either alone or in combination with other therapies, for about fifteen different types of cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer. In late March 2022, health authorities approved it for early access, in combination with targeted therapy, for patients with advanced endometrial cancer. This drug was also the focus of several studies presented this year at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.
Dr. Alexandra Leary, a medical oncologist at Gustave Roussy and director of the gynecologic cancer research laboratory, has been working for several years to identify new, effective immunotherapies for gynecologic cancers. She has shown that combining pembrolizumab with an anti-angiogenic agent (a molecule that inhibits the formation of new blood vessels) yields very encouraging results in women with advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer. This immunotherapy also shows promise when combined with a therapeutic vaccine in metastatic or recurrent ovarian and cervical cancers.
Research is ongoing to identify new combinations. Immunotherapy could soon become the new standard of care for various gynecologic cancers in patients whose treatment options remain limited.
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Gustave Roussy at the ESMO 2026 Congress
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) is holding its annual congress from 23 to 27 October in Madrid, Spain. This major international event provides oncologists and researchers from around the world with an opportunity to present the latest findings from clinical studies aimed at improving cancer care and deepening our understanding of the disease. Once again, this year, physicians and researchers from Gustave Roussy have contributed to several dozen studies that will be presented during the five-day congress.
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5 questions with Dr François-Xavier Danlos about therapeutic cancer vaccines
Therapeutic cancer vaccines are making significant progress in clinical development. The ESMO Congress, which begins on 23 October, will provide an opportunity to learn about new data on a therapeutic vaccine against melanoma. However, there are major differences between vaccines traditionally used to prevent disease and therapeutic cancer vaccines. Dr François-Xavier Danlos, a medical oncologist in Gustave Roussy’s Drug Development Department and a specialist in immunotherapy development, explains.
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ADCs: Two Landmark Publications in Cancer Cell and Nature Medicine Showcase Gustave Roussy's Expertise
In less than two months, researchers and clinicians from Gustave Roussy have contributed to two major publications on Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) in Cancer Cell and Nature Medicine. Together, these papers provide both a comprehensive overview of current knowledge and a strategic vision to accelerate the development of the next generation of these innovative therapies.
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Drug shortages: Gustave Roussy becomes the only Cancer Centre in France authorised to produce Special Hospital Preparations
The Clinical Pharmacy Department at Gustave Roussy has been authorised by the French Ministry of Health to manufacture Special Hospital Preparations (SHPs). Granted for a period of seven years, this accreditation enables the Institute’s hospital pharmacy to produce certain medicines in coordination with the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) and the Ministry of Health. Gustave Roussy is the only French Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CLCC) authorised to manufacture Special Hospital Preparations, alongside ten university hospitals.
