Combination strategies to maximize the benefits of cancer immunotherapy

• Published in: Journal of hematology and oncology Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 1 - 156
• Main Authors: Zhu, Shaoming, Zhang, Tian, Zheng, Lei, Liu, Hongtao, Song, Wenru, Liu, Delong, Li, Zihai, Pan, Chong-xian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central Ltd 27.09.2021; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Antigen presentation; Apoptosis; Cancer; Cancer immunotherapy; Cancer therapies; Cancer vaccine; Cancer vaccines; CAR-T; Cell therapy; Chemotherapy; Cytokine; Cytokines; Cytotoxicity; Dendritic cells; Drug approval; FDA approval; Health aspects; Hematology; Immune checkpoint; Immune checkpoint inhibitor; Immune response; Immunoglobulins; Immunoregulation; Immunoregulatory factors; Immunotherapy; Ligands; Lymphocytes; Medical colleges; Mutation; Oncology; Oncolytic virus; Patients; Proteins; Radiation therapy; Radiotherapy; Response rates; Review; T cell receptors; Tumors; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vorinostat; China
• ISSN: 1756-8722; 1756-8722
• DOI: 10.1186/s13045-021-01164-5

Immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and adoptive cell therapy (ACT) have revolutionized cancer treatment, especially in patients whose disease was otherwise considered incurable. However, primary and secondary resistance to single agent immunotherapy often results in treatment failure, and only a minority of patients experience long-term benefits. This review article will discuss the relationship between cancer immune response and mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy. It will also provide a comprehensive review on the latest clinical status of combination therapies (e.g., immunotherapy with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapy), and discuss combination therapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It will provide an overview of therapies targeting cytokines and other soluble immunoregulatory factors, ACT, virotherapy, innate immune modifiers and cancer vaccines, as well as combination therapies that exploit alternative immune targets and other therapeutic modalities. Finally, this review will include the stimulating insights from the 2020 China Immuno-Oncology Workshop co-organized by the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON), the China National Medical Product Administration (NMPA) and Tsinghua University School of Medicine.