On being less tolerant: enhanced cancer immunosurveillance enabled by targeting checkpoints and agonists of T cell activation

Abstract

The recent approvals of two drugs that block the function of the immune checkpoint programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) have firmly planted tumor immunotherapy in the mainstream of clinical oncology. We provide a historical and immunologic context for these recent advances and discuss translational studies that provide insight into the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy at the individual patient level.