The evolution of cancer immunotherapy: a comprehensive review of its history and current perspectives

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to combat cancer, marking a significant advancement in treatment. This review traces its evolution from the late 19th century to its current status. It began with William Coley's pioneering work using bacterial toxins to stimulate the immune system against cancer cells, establishing the foundational concept of immunotherapy. In the mid-20th century, cytokine therapies like interferons and interleukins emerged, demonstrating that altering the immune response could reduce tumors and highlighting the complex interplay between cancer and the immune system. The discovery of immune checkpoints, regulatory pathways that prevent autoimmunity but are exploited by cancer cells to evade detection, was a pivotal development. Another major breakthrough is CAR-T cell therapy, which involves modifying a patient's T cells to target cancer-specific antigens. This personalized treatment has shown remarkable success in certain blood cancers. Additionally, cancer vaccines aim to trigger immune responses against tumor-specific or associated antigens, and while challenging, ongoing research is improving their efficacy. The historical progression of cancer immunotherapy, from Coley's toxins to modern innovations like checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cell therapy, underscores its transformative impact on cancer treatment. As research delves deeper into the immune system's complexities, immunotherapy is poised to become even more crucial in oncology, offering renewed hope to patients globally.

Keywords: Adoptive immunotherapy; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Immunotherapy.

Fig. 1

Milestones in immunotherapy research. The timeline of immunotherapy highlights key discoveries and breakthroughs, from Coley’s toxin in 1891 to the FDA approval of Opdualag in 2022. FDA, Food and Drug Administration; PD-1, programmed cell death protein 1; IL-2, interleukin-2; CTLA-4, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4; CAR, chimeric antigen receptor; IFN, interferon; LAG-3, lymphocyte-activation gene 3.