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Review
. 2020 May;25(5):790-800.
doi: 10.1007/s10147-019-01588-7. Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Current issues and perspectives in PD-1 blockade cancer immunotherapy

Kenji Chamoto  1 , Ryusuke Hatae  1 , Tasuku Honjo  2
Affiliations
Review

Current issues and perspectives in PD-1 blockade cancer immunotherapy

Kenji Chamoto et al. Int J Clin Oncol. 2020 May.

Abstract

Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) signal receptor blockade has revolutionized the field of cancer therapy. Despite their considerable potential for treating certain cancers, drugs targeting PD-1 still present two main drawbacks: the substantial number of unresponsive patients and/or patients showing recurrences, and side effects associated with the autoimmune response. These drawbacks highlight the need for further investigation of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects, as well as the need to develop novel biomarkers to predict the lack of treatment response and to monitor potential adverse events. Combination therapy is a promising approach to improve the efficacy of PD-1 blockade therapy. Considering the increasing number of patients with cancer worldwide, solving the above issues is central to the field of cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we discuss these issues and clinical perspectives associated with PD-1 blockade cancer immunotherapy.

Keywords: Biomarker; Combination therapy; Immune checkpoint inhibitor; Immune metabolism; Immune-related adverse event.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
History of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) blockade cancer immunotherapy development
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Regulation of killer T cell activity by various factors during PD-1 blockade therapy
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Low-molecular weight drugs activating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production mTOR/AMPK, or PPAR gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) signaling pathways enhance anti-tumor immunity mediated by PD-1 blockade
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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