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Review
. 2024 Aug 29;16(9):1146.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16091146.

Synergizing Immunotherapy and Antibody-Drug Conjugates: New Horizons in Breast Cancer Therapy

Antonello Pinto  1 , Chiara Guarini  1 , Marianna Giampaglia  2 , Valeria Sanna  3 , Assunta Melaccio  4 , Laura Lanotte  5 , Anna Natalizia Santoro  1 , Francesca Pini  1 , Antonio Cusmai  6 , Francesco Giuliani  4 , Gennaro Gadaleta-Caldarola  5 , Palma Fedele  1
Affiliations
Review

Synergizing Immunotherapy and Antibody-Drug Conjugates: New Horizons in Breast Cancer Therapy

Antonello Pinto et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

The advent of immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have revolutionized breast cancer treatment, offering new hope to patients. However, challenges, such as resistance and limited efficacy in certain cases, remain. Recently, the combination of these therapies has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges. ADCs play a crucial role by delivering cytotoxic agents directly to breast cancer cells, minimizing damage to healthy tissue and enhancing the tumor-killing effect. Concurrently, immunotherapies harness the body's immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. This integration offers potential to overcome resistance mechanisms and significantly improve therapeutic outcomes. This review explores the rationale behind combining immunotherapies with ADCs, recent advances in this field, and the potential implications for breast cancer treatment.

Keywords: antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs); breast cancer; immunotherapy; resistance mechanisms; synergistic effects.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of immunotherapy drug action.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Simplified structure of an ADC directed against a given target.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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