Combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy and radiotherapy in lung cancer: is this the beginning of the end for cancer?

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have significantly improved overall survival with an acceptable safety profile in a substantial proportion of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, not all patients are sensitive to immune checkpoint blockade and, in some cases, programmed death 1 (PD-1) or programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors accelerate tumor progression. Several combination strategies are under evaluation, including the concomitant or sequential evaluation of chemotherapy or radiotherapy with immunotherapy. The current review provides an overview on the molecular rationale for the investigation of combinatorial approaches with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Moreover, the results of completed clinical studies will be reported.

Distinct prognostic values of mRNA expression of glutathione peroxidases in non–small cell lung cancer

“…A multidisciplinary approach combining the application of chemotherapy with alternative treatment modalities as well as targeted therapy have aided improvement in survival outcomes. However, success with the above treatment modalities has continually been constrained by various limitations 3,4. Therefore, further investigation on the mechanism of progression, as well as identification of prognostic markers, will help select patients with a higher chance of lung cancer recurrence and provide better prognosis and individualized treatment.…”

1-(4-((5-chloro-4-((2-(isopropylsulfonyl)phenyl)amino)pyrimidin-2-yl)amino)-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)imidazolidin-2-one (ZX-42), a novel ALK inhibitor, induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in H2228 cells

“…According to pathological typing, NSCLC has been subdivided into large cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. [2] The anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion gene is a fundamental driving gene for the lung cancer. Although only about 3-5% of NSCLC patients have ALK fusion gene, [3] it is still a significant target for NSCLC considering the large population of NSCLC patients.…”

<p>Safety and Efficacy of PD-1 Inhibitors Plus Chemotherapy in Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Retrospective Study</p>

“…lend credence to the argument that the combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy is the next step for cancer treatment. Based on these evidences and on the results of previous studies in other malignant tumors, 27,28 we started using PD-1 inhibitors and doxorubicin in advanced STS. We could not calculate the exact overall survival in this study because majority of the patients received other treatments after PD.…”

“…6 As a cytotoxic chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin works rapidly, while PD-1 inhibitors have a later onset but a longer duration of action. 11,15,28 When doxorubicin is combined with PD-1 inhibitor, the cytotoxic effect is achieved immediately from doxorubicin and is then maintained for long periods from the PD-1 inhibitor. From this perspective, these two drugs complement each other with respect to both effectiveness and duration.…”