Cancer immunotherapy in clinical practice��the past, present, and future

Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in the field of cancer immunotherapy in recent years. This has been made possible in large part by the identification of new immune-based cellular targets and the development of novel approaches aimed at stimulating the immune system. The role played by the immunosuppressive microenvironment in the development of tumors has been established. The success of checkpoint-inhibiting antibodies and cancer vaccines has marked the beginning of a new era in cancer treatment. This review highlights the clinically relevant principles of cancer immunology and various immunotherapeutic approaches that have either already entered mainstream oncologic practice or are currently in the process of being evaluated in clinical trials. Furthermore, the current barriers to the development of effective immunotherapies and the potential strategies of overcoming them are also discussed.

Learning-accelerated Discovery of Immune-Tumour Interactions

“…Durable (and even complete) responses were observed in a significant fraction of those receiving the immune treatment 2 . Similar advances have been reported in diverse cancers such as non small-cell lung carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and renal carcinoma 3,4 .…”

“…However, cancer immunotherapies do not benefit all patients equally: only 10-20% of patients receiving immunotherapy experience durable, partial or complete responses, and far more experience only temporary responses or none whatsoever 3,4 . Much work has focused on finding biomarkers to identify the 20% who can best benefit from immunotherapy 5 , while many others have focused on improving immunogenicity 3,4 .…”

Expression and antibody generation of the cancer-testis antigen, BIOT2-S

“…To solve these problems, researchers have continuously put forward new ideas such as using new materials to replace traditional medicines to improve the effects of treatment (Shen et al, 2014); however, these methods have not fundamentally altered the current state of treatment. Concurrently, the development of tumor immunology methodologies has brought new opportunities for cancer therapy (Goel and Sun, 2014). Tumor associated antigens (TAAs) play an important role in immunology but some TAAs are expressed only in limited types of tumors or only at certain times.…”

Cancer immunotherapy

“…In addition to the immune checkpoint modulators, there are many other immunotherapeutic approaches with the promising potential for high efficacy, including long-term tumor remission, in cancer patients. These approaches include cancer vaccines, cytokines, and adoptive T-cell therapy [4] , [11] . Among these possibilities, the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered lymphocytes is emerging as an attractive cancer therapy [11] .…”

“…Currently, there are at least 7 anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapies in clinical development. There are numerous phase III trials for a broad range of indications [3] , [4] . The first wave of approvals is anticipated to include treatments for melanoma, RCC, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).…”