Perspectives in immunotherapy: meeting report from the Immunotherapy Bridge (29-30 November, 2017, Naples, Italy)

Abstract

Immunotherapy represents the third important wave in the history of the systemic treatment of cancer after chemotherapy and targeted therapy and is now established as a potent and effective treatment option across several cancer types. The clinical success of anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen (CTLA)-4, first, and anti-programmed death (PD)-1/PD-ligand (L)1 agents in melanoma and other cancers a few years later, has encouraged increasing focus on the development of other immunotherapies (e.g. monoclonal antibodies with other immune targets, adoptive cell transfer, and vaccines), with over 3000 immuno-oncology trials ongoing, involving hundreds of research institutes across the globe. The potential use of these different immunotherapeutic options in various combinations with one another and with other treatment modalities is an area of particular promise. The third Immunotherapy Bridge meeting (29-30 November, 2017, Naples, Italy) focused on recent advances in immunotherapy across various cancer types and is summarised in this report.

Keywords: Adoptive cell transfer combination therapy; Biomarkers; Cancer vaccines; Checkpoint inhibitors; Immunotherapy.

Fig. 1

Therapeutic strategies to target tumour-intrinsic and tumour-extrinsic mechanisms driving anti-tumour T cell dysfunction

Fig. 2

Blood-based biomarker development: blood versus tissue samples

Fig. 3

Tumour and Immune biomarkers being evaluated to predict better outcomes to immunotherapy

Fig. 4

CD26 is an enzymatic, multifunctional protein