The Current Status and Future Perspectives of Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Engineered T Cell Therapy for the Management of Patients with Endometrial Cancer

• Published in: Current Issues in Molecular Biology Vol. 45; no. 4; pp. 3359 - 3374
• Main Authors: Choi, Ji-Young, Kim, Tae-Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.04.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Antigens; B cells; Cancer; CAR-T; Care and treatment; Endometrial cancer; gynecologic malignancies; Health aspects; Immunotherapy; Metastasis; Mortality; Physiological aspects; Prognosis; Review; T cells; gynecologic malignancies; endometrial cancer; T cells; CAR-T; immunotherapy
• ISSN: 1467-3045; 1467-3037; 1467-3045
• DOI: 10.3390/cimb45040220

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a gynecological neoplasm that is increasing in occurrence and mortality rates. Although endometrial cancer in the early stages shows a relatively favorable prognosis, there is an increase in cancer-related mortality rates in the advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma population and patients in the metastatic setting. This discrepancy has presented an opportunity for research and development of target therapies in this population. After obtaining promising results with hematologic cancers, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapy is gaining acceptance as a treatment for solid neoplasms. This treatment platform allows T cells to express tumor-specific CARs on the cell surface, which are administered to the patient to treat neoplastic cells. Given that CAR-T cell therapy has shown potential and clinical benefit compared to other T cell treatment platforms, additional research is required to overcome physiological limitations such as CAR-T cell depletion, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and the lack of specific target molecules. Different approaches and development are ongoing to overcome these complications. This review examines CAR-T cell therapy's current use for endometrial carcinomas. We also discuss the significant adverse effects and limitations of this immunotherapeutic approach. Finally, we consolidate signal-seeking early-phase clinical trials and advancements that have shown promising results, leading to the approval of new immunotherapeutic agents for the disease.