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Review
. 2024 May 21;30(19):2496-2501.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i19.2496.

Immunotherapy for esophageal cancer: Where are we now and where can we go

Yoshiaki Shoji  1 , Kazuo Koyanagi  2 , Kohei Kanamori  1 , Kohei Tajima  1 , Mika Ogimi  1 , Yamato Ninomiya  1 , Miho Yamamoto  1 , Akihito Kazuno  1 , Kazuhito Nabeshima  1 , Takayuki Nishi  1 , Masaki Mori  1
Affiliations
Review

Immunotherapy for esophageal cancer: Where are we now and where can we go

Yoshiaki Shoji et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has dramatically improved patient prognosis, and thereby transformed the treatment in various cancer types including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the past decade. Monoclonal antibodies that selectively inhibit programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) activity has now become standard of care in the treatment of ESCC in metastatic settings, and has a high expectation to provide clinical benefit during perioperative period. Further, anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) monoclonal antibody has also been approved in the treatment of recurrent/metastatic ESCC in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody. Well understanding of the existing evidence of immune-based treatments for ESCC, as well as recent clinical trials on various combinations with chemotherapy for different clinical settings including neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and metastatic diseases, may provide future prospects of ESCC treatment for better patient outcomes.

Keywords: Adjuvant therapy; Anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated protein 4; Clinical trials; Combination therapy; Esophageal cancer; Immune checkpoint inhibitor; Immunotherapy; Neoadjuvant therapy; Programmed cell death-1.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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