[Immunotherapy for brain tumors: obstacles and perspectives]

Abstract

Glioblastomas are highly aggressive tumors. Their prognosis remain poor despite standard therapies combining surgery, radiation and temozolomide based chemotherapy. Among innovating strategies, there is a major interest for immunotherapy. During the past 3 decades, there has been a general scepticism concerning the efficacy of this approach. But the latest achievements, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumors, and adoptive cell therapy in hematologic malignancies, have radically changed the face of the field and have already an impact on the daily practice. To which extent these advances have an impact for brain tumors also? This article aims to present the principal clinical applications of the various immune therapies currently under investigation in neurooncology and give an insight on the future perspectives in the field.