title: Update on the challenges and recent advances in cancer immunotherapy.
abstract: This overview provides an analysis of some of the immunotherapies currently in use and under investigation, with a special focus on the tumor microenvironment, which we believe is a major factor responsible for the general failure of immunotherapy to date. It is our expectation that combining immunotherapy with methods of altering the tumor microenvironment and targeting regulatory T cells and myeloid cells will yield favorable results.
authors.affiliation: Centro Medico Demetra: Hyperthermia and Immunity Center, Terni, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baronzio
authors.affiliation: Integrated Health Clinic, Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Gurdev
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parmar
authors.affiliation: Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Irina Zh
authors.initials: IZh
authors.lastname: Shubina
authors.affiliation: Centro Medico Demetra: Hyperthermia and Immunity Center, Terni, Italy.
authors.forename: Valter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cassutti
authors.affiliation: Centro Medico Demetra: Hyperthermia and Immunity Center, Terni, Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giuli
authors.affiliation: Centro Medico Demetra: Hyperthermia and Immunity Center, Terni, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ballerini
authors.affiliation: Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Mikhail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiselevsky
keywords: CTLA-4; PD-1; Tregs; exosomes; immunosuppression; myeloid-derived suppressor cells; tumor immunity; tumor microenvironment