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Review
. 2020 Apr;27(Suppl 2):S87-S97.
doi: 10.3747/co.27.5223. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

A review of cancer immunotherapy: from the past, to the present, to the future

K Esfahani  1 , L Roudaia  1 , N Buhlaiga  1 , S V Del Rincon  2 , N Papneja  1 , W H Miller Jr  1
Affiliations
Review

A review of cancer immunotherapy: from the past, to the present, to the future

K Esfahani et al. Curr Oncol. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Compared with previous standards of care (including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery), cancer immunotherapy has brought significant improvements for patients in terms of survival and quality of life. Immunotherapy has now firmly established itself as a novel pillar of cancer care, from the metastatic stage to the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings in numerous cancer types. In this review article, we highlight how the history of cancer immunotherapy paved the way for discoveries that are now part of the standard of care. We also highlight the current pitfalls and limitations of cancer checkpoint immunotherapy and how novel research in the fields of personalized cancer vaccines, autoimmunity, the microbiome, the tumour microenvironment, and metabolomics is aiming to solve those challenges.

Keywords: Immune checkpoint inhibitors; immune-related adverse events; metabolomics; microbiome studies; personalized cancer vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES We have read and understood Current Oncology’s policy on disclosing conflicts of interest, and we declare the following interests: WHM reports personal fees from Bristol–Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche, Novartis, and Amgen outside the submitted work; and KE reports personal fees from Bristol–Myers Squibb outside the submitted work. LR and NB have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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