Immune Checkpoint Therapy and the Search for Predictive Biomarkers.
Immune checkpoint therapy has started a revolution in the field of oncology. The concept that the immune system plays a critical role in antitumor responses, which has been around for decades, has finally been proven and firmly established with elegant preclinical studies and dramatic clinical responses in patients as a result of antibodies that block inhibitory T-cell pathways. However, the clinical responses being achieved are only in a subset of patients, and more work is needed to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms that elicit tumor rejection, which will enable identification of appropriate biomarkers, reveal new targets, provide data to guide combination studies, and eventually dictate a platform that allows more patients to derive clinical benefit, including cures, with immune checkpoint therapy.
From the Departments of Immunology and Genitourinary Medical Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.P.S.'s work was supported by the SU2C-CRI Dream Team Cancer Immunotherapy Grant, PCF Challenge Grant in Immunology, NCI/NIH 1-R01 CA1633793-01, and Cancer Prevention Research in Texas (grant RP120108).
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D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; D015415:Biomarkers; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor