RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Immuno-oncology combinations: raising the tail of the survival curve JF Cancer Biology and Medicine JO Cancer Biol Med FD China Anti-Cancer Association SP 171 OP 193 DO 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2016.0015 VO 13 IS 2 A1 Harris, Samuel J. A1 Brown, Jessica A1 Lopez, Juanita A1 Yap, Timothy A. YR 2016 UL http://www.cancerbiomed.org/content/13/2/171.abstract AB There have been exponential gains in immuno-oncology in recent times through the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for advanced melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitors also appear to have significant antitumor activity in multiple other tumor types. An exciting component of immunotherapy is the durability of antitumor responses observed, with some patients achieving disease control for many years. Nevertheless, not all patients benefit, and efforts should thus now focus on improving the efficacy of immunotherapy through the use of combination approaches and predictive biomarkers of response and resistance. There are multiple potential rational combinations using an immunotherapy backbone, including existing treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or molecularly targeted agents, as well as other immunotherapeutics. The aim of such antitumor strategies will be to raise the tail on the survival curve by increasing the number of long term survivors, while managing any additive or synergistic toxicities that may arise with immunotherapy combinations. Rational trial designs based on a clear understanding of tumor biology and drug pharmacology remain paramount. This article reviews the biology underpinning immuno-oncology, discusses existing and novel immunotherapeutic combinations currently in development, the challenges of predictive biomarkers of response and resistance and the impact of immuno-oncology on early phase clinical trial design.