The following article from Cancer Therapy Advisor presents the arguments for and against hyperprogression of tumours following treatment with immunotherapy.

Some doctors in the US will not treat patients with immune checkpoint inhibitors if their tumours have genetic changes or mutations in the MDM2 or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) genes. These mutations have been found to be associated with a phenomenon called hyperprogression. Hyperprogression describes the growth of a tumour that violently speeds up as a result of treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab. Hyperprogression is different from pseudoprogression, and is linked to poor survival and worse clinical symptoms. It has been reported for a number of tumour types, and not only after treatment with immunotherapy.

The term is relatively new and quite controversial, with some doctors not convinced that hyperprogression is a real phenomenon.

Read the full article in Cancer Therapy Advisor here