Development of new immunotherapy treatments in different cancer types

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy involves the use of therapeutic modalities that determine a manipulation of the immune system by using immune agents such as cytokines, vaccines, cell therapies and humoral, transfection agents. Immunotherapy of cancer has to stimulate the host's anti-tumor response by increasing the effector cell number and the production of soluble mediators and decrease the host's suppressor mechanisms by inducing tumor killing environment and by modulating immune checkpoints. Immunotherapy seems to work better in more immunogenic tumors. Making a review of literature, the article presents the new immunologic treatments in cancers less presented in the latest conferences, cancers in which, immunotherapy is still under investigation. Bladder cancer was the first indication for which immunotherapy was used in 1970. A promising clinical research in bladder cancer is the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Although breast cancer is considered immunologically silent, several preclinical and clinical studies suggested that immunotherapy has the potential to improve the clinical outcomes for patients with breast cancer. Cervical cancer, brain cancer, head and neck cancer and colorectal and esophageal cancers are cancer types for which new immune-based cancer treatments are currently under development. Recent agents used in clinical trials will be described in before mentioned cancers.

Keywords: arthrodesis; cancer; clinical studies; immunotherapy; new treatments.

Fig. 1

Therapeutic modalities that lead to a manipulation of the immune system by using immune agents such as cytokines, vaccines, cell therapies, and transfection agents

Fig. 2

Immunotherapy of cancer

Fig. 3

From “Understanding the Rationale for Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer”- Tumor immunotherapy: role of immune checkpoint inhibitors

Fig. 4

Therapeutic cancer vaccines

Fig. 5

Breast cancer incidence and mortality rates in males and females

Fig. 6

Adoptive T cell transfer

Fig. 7

Cervical cancer: incidence and mortality rates among women

Fig. 8

Colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates among men and women