In an effort to better treat cancer patients suffering from myocarditis — or inflammation of the heart muscle — caused by immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, the University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center is one of more than 30 sites in the United States and Canada enrolling patients in a clinical trial to see if adding the drug abatacept to standard corticosteroid therapy safely reduces major cardiac events. The trial is specifically for patients who are hospitalized with checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis.
At the CU Anschutz Cancer Center, the trial is overseen by Lavanya Kondapalli, MD, associate professor of cardiology in the CU Anschutz School of Medicine. Kondapalli is director of the cancer center’s cardio-oncology program, which manages cardiovascular issues that arise from cancer therapy, existing cardiovascular disease in people with a cancer diagnosis, and long-term cardiovascular care of cancer survivors.
We talked with Kondapalli about the clinical trial, which is currently enrolling patients.