Exploring the Role of ADCs in Brain Metastases and Primary Brain Tumors: Insight and Future Directions

Abstract

Primary and secondary brain tumors have always been a challenge due to their high morbidity and poor prognosis. The incidence of brain metastasis is also increasing with the advent of effective new treatments. Traditional systemic treatments have historically had limited success, partly due to poor central nervous system (CNS) penetration. However, the advent in recent decades of new therapies that have shown high encephalic response rates are challenging this paradigm. ADCs represent a new class of compounds revolutionizing cancer treatment with high systemic response rates and lower toxicities. The continuing evolution of ADCs has shown that certain structural features such as payload, linker, and drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) are essential in determining their efficacy at the encephalic level, and some ADCs have started to exhibit promising efficacy in treating primary and secondary brain tumors. Unfortunately, most patients with untreated encephalic metastases are excluded from clinical trials, with data primarily from retrospective studies or post hoc analyses. This review describes the early signs of ADC efficacy in brain tumors, the role of complementary treatments like radiation therapy, and critical points to improve ADC efficacy in brain malignancies.

Keywords: antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs); breast cancer; lung cancer; neuro-oncology; radiotherapy; targeted therapies.

Figure 1

Mechanism of action of ADCs. Abbreviations: ADC, antibody–drug conjugate.