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Review
. 2023 Apr 6;25(4):617-627.
doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noac236.

Cellular immunotherapy for medulloblastoma

Michael Y Schakelaar  1 , Matthijs Monnikhof  1 , Sandra Crnko  1   2 , Emma W Pijnappel  1   2 , Jan Meeldijk  1   3   2 , Toine Ten Broeke  1   2 , Niels Bovenschen  1   3   2
Affiliations
Review

Cellular immunotherapy for medulloblastoma

Michael Y Schakelaar et al. Neuro Oncol. .

Abstract

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, making up ~20% of all primary pediatric brain tumors. Current therapies consist of maximal surgical resection and aggressive radio- and chemotherapy. A third of the treated patients cannot be cured and survivors are often left with devastating long-term side effects. Novel efficient and targeted treatment is desperately needed for this patient population. Cellular immunotherapy aims to enhance and utilize immune cells to target tumors, and has been proven successful in various cancers. However, for MB, the knowledge and possibilities of cellular immunotherapy are limited. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current status of cellular immunotherapy for MB, from fundamental in vitro research to in vivo models and (ongoing) clinical trials. In addition, we compare our findings to cellular immunotherapy in glioma, an MB-like intracranial tumor. Finally, future possibilities for MB are discussed to improve efficacy and safety.

Keywords: cellular immunotherapy; cytotoxic lymphocytes; medulloblastoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Classification of medulloblastoma subgroups. dNPCs, differentiating neural stem and progenitor cells; GNPCs, granule neuron precursor cells; SHH, sonic hedgehog; URLPs, upper rhombic lip progenitors; WNT, wingless-related integration site. Figure was generated based on available literature.,,.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic representation of the most important cellular immunotherapeutic strategies for medulloblastoma. B7-H3, B7 homolog 3; CAR, chimeric antigen receptor; CD1d, cluster of differentiation 1; DC, dendritic cell; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor; EPHA2, ephrin type-A receptor 2; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; IL13-Rα2, interleukin-13 receptor subunit alpha-2; MHC-I, major histocompatibility complex type I; NK, natural killer; NKCR, NK cell receptor; NKG2DL, ligands of NKG2D; PRAME, antigen preferentially expressed in melanoma; TCR, T cell receptor, ttRNA; total tumor RNA. Figure was generated based on the available literature.,,,.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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