title: Exploitation of the propulsive force of chemotherapy for improving the response to cancer immunotherapy.
abstract: Since the early clinical studies of cancer immunotherapy, the question arose as to whether it was possible to combine it with standard cancer treatments, mostly chemotherapy. The answer, now, is past history. The combined use of immunotherapy and chemotherapy is not only possible but, in certain cases, can be advantageous, depending on the drug, the dose and the combination modalities. In order to find the best synergisms between the two treatments and to turn weak immunotherapeutic interventions into potent anticancer instruments, it is mandatory to understand the complex mechanisms responsible for the positive interactions between chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In this article, we review the current knowledge on mechanisms involved in the immunostimulating activity of chemotherapy and summarize the main studies in both mouse models and patients aimed at exploiting such mechanisms for enhancing the response to cancer immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. enrico.proietti@iss.it
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Proietti
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moschella
authors.forename: Imerio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Belardelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents